Three OH-58Cs Available At No Charge
A newly formed nonprofit group, The Law Enforcement Aviation
Coalition, have will soon have three helicopters available to law
enforcement agencies in northern Illinois and southern
Wisconsin.
The group has taken possession of three OH-58C helicopters
donated by the US military, said Winthrop Harbor, IL Police Chief
Joel Brumlik. The helicopters will be equipped with advanced
infrared imaging equipment, spotlights, night vision goggles and
street-level mapping systems, according to Wisconsin's The Journal
Times.
The coalition was born from a helicopter program at the Winthrop
Harbor Police Department in Illinois. Since 2003, Winthrop Harbor
has provided access to helicopter time that was donated to the
department and will remain the coordinating and dispatching
agency.
There's no charge to police or fire agencies requesting and
using LEAC's services. All personnel involved, including the police
officer pilots, are volunteers, Brumlik said. LEAC will accept
tax-deductible donations for associated maintenance and equipment
costs.
The helos will go by 'Air-One' with at least one based at
Kenosha's airport. One is currently in service and the others two
are being refurbished.
Law enforcement dispatchers are aware they may periodically
receive calls reporting low-flying aircraft with a powerful
spotlight. Air-One is equipped with a 40-million-candlepower
searchlight, capable of illuminating a target a mile away.
Those reports may start as early as this week when the
helicopter conducts training exercises throughout the Racine,
Kenosha and Walworth region Wednesday and Thursday. More training
is scheduled in the coming weeks.
Training covers use of such equipment as the forward-looking
infrared camera system that captures thermal images.
"This FLIR is so sensitive, you can see a mouse running through
a field," Brumlik said.
The FLIR system is not only useful to law enforcement in
locating suspects, but can also assist firefighters in tracking hot
spots and determining safety issues in a burning building.
Winthrop Harbor Police Department
Cmdr. Dan Britton said the helicopter will be involved in
felony-related car chases if requested, but finding missing people
plays a bigger role in the LEAC's mission.
Although the previous helicopter available from the Withrop
Harbor Police Department didn't have FLIR, a high vantage point is
invaluable in searches, Brumlik said. Three fishermen, close to
death, were pulled from Lake Michigan two seasons ago, he said.
"It's going to be a life-saving tool, to be honest with you,"
Brumlik said. "It has already demonstrated it will save lives. All
you have to do is talk to the fishermen."