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Ironically, I am in the process of creating the Aviation Unit for the Police Department that I work at. We are starting with a fixed wing first. Either the C-172 or 182. Probably used. As the City of Glendale, Az is getting the Superbowl in 2008, the city wants the Helicopter program up by then.
I got my Commercial Fixed-wing, back in November. I wasn't planning on flying on the job and was looking at other posibilities (airline stuff). The admin staff at work came to me with some other guys that were working on the program and got me involved. We hope to get that up and going within a two year window. With the Helicopter program soon after. Though for a used 182 we are looking at spending 150,000 just for the plane. A new Helicopter 1.6 million per.
Anyway, that is what I have been doing for a while and hopefully all goes well with it. Plus I can still make my 70 k doing this while only being 9 years from retirement. As apposed to going the flight instructor route for 16 per hour. If you have never done a ride along with an air unit, do it...... You will become hooked. Flying over the city at 500 ft while following a pursuit or looking for the bad guy, is awesome.
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I thought the metro PHX cities (except Mesa) just called upon Phoenix PDs Firebird whenever they needed air, and in a pinch, called DPSs Ranger at Fire Station 41.
I remember in the early 1990s, Scottsdale PD leased a Hughes 500E for a couple of weeks to evaluate an air support capability. Following testing, the idea sort of fizzled out.