Law Enforcement Pilots

jgheggie

jgheggie

Well-Known Member
Just curious if there is anyone on here that flies for a law enforcement agency. Police pilot? Fixed wing?

I went through the police academy prior to getting my ratings. It was always sort of my "plan b". This year my POST certificate would have expired if I did not get a law enforcement job. So, since my flying career hasn't taken off, I decided to apply for police jobs. I got one. The agency has an aviation unit.

So my question(s). Is how tough is it to get in the airplane within an agency? Is there a lot of turn over? If any? I still have my passion for flying and I am still flying part time. However, my law enforcement job pays great. There's no way I could ever give it up to go to a regional (if I ever qualify).
 
Sounds like a good question for the Chief over your aviation department.

I'm sure it varies across the country. I have seen a few postings over the last several months that simply require the law enforcement credential to wanting up to 5 years of street experience before transitioning to aviation. Here in Jacksonville, the street requirement is two years. They have a mixed bag of helo for patrol and fixed wing for prisoner transport. I suspect a lot of these positions are filled internally. Looks like you got your foot in the door! That's the little I know...I'm sure there are folks on here with way more insight.

David
 
jgheggie said:
So my question(s). Is how tough is it to get in the airplane within an agency? Is there a lot of turn over? If any? I still have my passion for flying and I am still flying part time. However, my law enforcement job pays great. There's no way I could ever give it up to go to a regional (if I ever qualify).
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All depends on your particular agency. No two really operate the same in this regard.
 
I guess my question more specifically (and maybe the answer is the same) is; how big is the industry? Is it a career in which police officers "fall into"? Are there a lot of pilots out there that consider this type of work a substitute to the airlines?

More simply put, in this career field are you a pilot who becomes a cop? Or a cop who becomes a pilot?

I want to know what my chances are with other agencies if I get a couple years of law enforcement experience. Considering I already have my commercial.
 
jgheggie said:
I guess my question more specifically (and maybe the answer is the same) is; how big is the industry? Is it a career in which police officers "fall into"? Are there a lot of pilots out there that consider this type of work a substitute to the airlines?

More simply put, in this career field are you a pilot who becomes a cop? Or a cop who becomes a pilot?

I want to know what my chances are with other agencies if I get a couple years of law enforcement experience. Considering I already have my commercial.
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Again, it depends on the agency. Some train from within from zero hours and ratings after having qualified to get on with the air unit, such as Phoenix PD. However, it's a very long time to get to the air unit and requires a minimum street time as a cop.

Other places hire into aviation from outside experienced people, often wanting a good couple thousand hours of rotary wing or even fixed wing, then you go get POST certed, do some fam time on the streets, then go to the air side. Arizona DPS is like this, with both reserve pilots as well as full time pilots.

Other places utilize non-LEO pilots, with an LEO observer onboard, but mainly these will be units that don't do enforcement anyway, such as fixed wing.

It's not a substitute for the airlines, in the same way the military wouldn't be. Because your job is not to be a pilot necessarily, like it is in the airlines. You primary job is that of an LEO, first and foremost, and pilot/crewman/flight officer second.

So far as your chances, that is impossible to tell you. Completely impossible. EVERY agency is different.
 
jgheggie said:
I guess my question more specifically (and maybe the answer is the same) is; how big is the industry? Is it a career in which police officers "fall into"? Are there a lot of pilots out there that consider this type of work a substitute to the airlines?

More simply put, in this career field are you a pilot who becomes a cop? Or a cop who becomes a pilot?

I want to know what my chances are with other agencies if I get a couple years of law enforcement experience. Considering I already have my commercial.
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I have a couple buddies that fly in the aviation unit here in jax... Basically you always start out a cop first, then as a position opens up (someone dies, gets promoted, or leaves) you can apply for it. Even the guys in the aviation unit here have to do regular patrol stuff from time to time though. And many are dual qualified fixed wing and rotary. Most of the police aviation here is rotary, but they do have what looks like a 182 with a FLIR pod on it and they also use an old BE200 with no autopilot for prisoner transport.

I've thought about trying to go this route given my love/knowledge of firearms and because I'm a pilot with some good "ins" here locally... But I'm just not passionate about being a cop (in any sort of way) and that is what you are first. A cop, then a pilot. It would be kind of like going the Air Force to fly airplanes first, and not being passionate about serving my country. I feel like I would just end up disappointed.
 
Mike has the scoop obviously and from what little I know, which is far less than he does, all the agencies have different aircraft (fixed wing and rotor), varying requirements, and some of them even have different mission pilots like Tactical Flight officers. Some have to be able to fly rotor and fixed wing. You are a LEO first and will be one for several years before you even get a shot at flying. One L.A. County Deputy Sheriff I know, had strong previous military experience in rotor and it still took him 10 or 11 years to secure a spot. He only got the chance/opportunity because he had worked on his connections continually, his previous experience/missions in the military and because one of the pilots was injured and could no longer fly. He is still often called upon for other LEO duties besides flying as well. Every agency also requires different types of assignments as a LEO to become a pilot. Some require a certain number of years of working the jails, the streets, other programs combos of various stints/assignments and the shortest time I have ever heard of is 2 years, but most I think are more like 5 years and some can be 7 years of experience before you will even be considered. These are primo spots with not a lot of aircraft available and it's difficult to get a shot. Not impossible, but also not easy. It would be a ways down the road in your career for sure though.

I found this link for you and if you click on the different links/headings at the top, it will give you some idea of what a few sample agencies require.

http://www.policehelicopterpilot.com/lapd-air-support/

You can also do a search for most agencies and see what the requirements and time frames are.
 
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And pay isn't that great from what I hear with local law enforcement agencies... But no one does that stuff for the pay anyways.
 
I have a cop friend who was also a CFI some years ago. His goal was to be part of the LAPD air unit. That was 10 years ago and he is still waiting. Apparently you'll be about 10 years from retirement before you get the call to join the air unit. From what I understand, its like this in most major cities. We have a JC member who left the regionals to become a police officer. He can probably share some better info.
 
SeanD said:
I have a cop friend who was also a CFI some years ago. His goal was to be part of the LAPD air unit. That was 10 years ago and he is still waiting. Apparently you'll be about 10 years from retirement before you get the call to join the air unit. From what I understand, its like this in most major cities. We have a JC member who left the regionals to become a police officer. He can probably share some better info.
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Does your friend have cop hair? :D

 
MikeD said:
Does your friend have cop hair? :D

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Oh geez, my wife has had a little crush on Howie for years, except that she keeps calling him Huey. lol I used to try and explain to her that's another person altogether, but I just gave up, so we both call him Huey now. Honey............Huey's on tv.
 
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Apropos to absolutely nothing, why is it there is so much crossover between aviation and law enforcement? I lost count of how many pilots turned police and vice versa.
 
I was a regional pilot for eight years before jumping into LE. Even as a kid I had a desire to get into LE, but I also wanted to be a pilot... I went with the flying thing, and honestly it got really old after a while. So here I am. I miss flying some days, but that's because I always remember the good trips, never the awful ones.

Anyways, as to your question, at my agency we have several airplanes across the state. I wouldn't mind going into Air Operations someday, but right now it's not for me. I'm still fairly young, so I enjoy being a Road Dawg and runnin' and gunnin' on the interstate. Air Ops to me is a "retirement" gig, because it's a very chill job comparatively to working the road. That's probably why it takes so long to get there at LAPD. I've talked to Air Ops guys, and they say it's a lot of turns around a point at low-level on surveillance or tracks. I'd like to do it someday, but I'd rather wait until my knees go out. I'm hoping I can accomplish my dream of being a K9 handler before I try to get on Air Ops.

If your desire is to be a pilot more than a cop, I'd suggest leaving LE and pursuing some type of aviation job outside the airlines. If your desire is to be a cop, but you enjoy airplanes, then work hard and make it known that you are a "go-to" guy. If you are liked by your bosses, and don't rock the boat too bad, you can probably wiggle your way into an Aviation Unit sometime down the road. Just being a pilot and a cop doesn't mean you'll get it though. As with anything, who you know sometimes gets you farther than what you know.
 
My Dad has been in the aviation section for the Delaware State Police for nearly thirty years (and on the road for five years prior to aviation). I have had a very fortunate career...I would trade all of my accomplishments for career my father had. Delaware requires a fixed wing private cert and 5 years on the road before you can apply for the aviation section. The section will do all of the training required before you are cut loose as a PIC in the 407/429.

Alex.
 
SeanD said:
We have a JC member who left the regionals to become a police officer. He can probably share some better info.
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For the life of me I can't remember his screen name. Unless it's @IrishSheepdog and he just changed it? Thought it used to be ORDflyguy or chiflyguy or something of that nature.
 
B767 said:
For the life of me I can't remember his screen name. Unless it's @IrishSheepdog and he just changed it? Thought it used to be ORDflyguy or chiflyguy or something of that nature.
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I believe he is now IrishSheepdg and was FlyChicaca. I dont see him post much on here anymore. I know hes been busy.
 
LE flying is interesting and varied, unless you fly for a local PD, then it's less so.
 
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