Thu, Dec 25, 2008
Air 101 Responded To Child Beating Call
Helicopter Association International announced recently the 2009
MD Helicopters Law Enforcement Award recipient, Flight Crew Air
101; Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department, Modesto, CA.
On September 14, 2008, Air 101, a Bell 206 helicopter of the
Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department was conducting a routine
patrol when it was notified of a man in a roadway beating an
infant. The unit decided to intervene directly. The pilot, Deputy
Rob Latapie, made the decision to conduct a landing in a cow
pasture near the roadway. Officer Jerry Ramar, a Tactical Flight
Officer that evening, immediately exited the helicopter and ran to
the roadway to confront the man. The actions of the crew, combined
with the unique capabilities of the helicopter, provided an early
conclusion to this mission.
Latapie has been with the Department's Air Unit for almost 13
years, and is chief pilot. He is also a Field Training Officer and
has served on the Mounted and the Drug Units. Trained by Bell
Helicopter in four different aircraft, he has been a pilot for more
than 20 years and has over 5,000 accident-free flying hours. He has
won the Attorney General's Award for finding two children taken in
a stolen vehicle. Officer Ramar has been with the Modesto Police
Department for nearly 6 years and is assigned to the Street Crimes
Unit focusing on gangs. He has been in the Air Support Unit for two
years. In 2007 Ramar was awarded the Department's Distinguished
Service Medal for his service in the Street Crimes Unit.
The Department has had air support
since 1948, receiving four military surplus Bell OH-58 helicopters
in 1995. In 2000 the Air Support Unit was formed. Members of the
Department are regularly involved in dangerous assignments. In July
2008 the Dive Team recovered vehicles and bodies from the Delta
Mendota canal after a collision near the town of Westley. The
swiftness of the current, the presence of debris on the canal
bottom, and the low visibility made for a dangerous environment for
the divers. The Sheriff's Department does not have a full-time dive
unit so deputies often respond from their own homes.
HAI congratulates Flight Crew Air 101 of the Stanislaus County
Sheriff's Department for their contribution to the advancement of
the crime-suppression concept of helicopter patrol service to
ensure public safety.
All winners will be recognized at HELI-EXPO 2009's annual
"Salute to Excellence" Awards Banquet on February 23, 2009 in
Anaheim, CA.
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