Aviation Section
Ohio State Highway Patrol Aviation
A Force-Multiplier for Ohio Law Enforcement
The Ohio State Highway Patrol maintains an Aviation Section consisting of 15 uniformed officer-pilots, two American Eurocopter turbine-powered helicopters, and 14 Cessna airplanes.
The primary mission of Patrol pilots is enforcement of traffic safety laws and assist motorists. In addition, the Aviation Section conducts:
• Aerial searches, often utilizing the Forward-Looking Infra-Red – or FLIR;
• Photo missions;
• Marijuana location and eradication missions;
• Enforcement of school bus and railroad crossing violations;
• Operation TRIAD – which stands for Targeting Reckless, Intimidating, and Aggressive Drivers – where "road rage" and aggressive driving types of violations are occurring; and concentrated following too closely enforcement details;
• Emergency transportation; and
• Technical service in aircraft crash investigations and enforcement of laws governing air traffic.
All aircraft are equipped with programmable NAT police radios. These radios can be programmed to communicate with any police agency. Also, all aircraft are equipped with MARCS radios, which are part of Ohio’s 800-megaherz law enforcement and first responder radio and data communication network.
Nearly every type of aviation service performed by Patrol pilots is also available to other law enforcement agencies by request. Whether for traffic enforcement, the need for FLIR for an ongoing search, platform for aerial photographs, evidence relays from remote locations, or personnel transport, the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Aviation section is a tremendous asset to law enforcement throughout the state. To request Patrol Aviation services, contact the Columbus Communication Center at (614) 466-2660.
From aerial traffic enforcement, marijuana eradication, school bus and railroad crossing violations, aerial searches, including assistance to other agencies, FLIR-technology, and aircraft crash investigation and enforcement of laws governing air traffic, the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Aviation section is a force multiplier in the ongoing efforts of all Ohio law enforcement to keep Ohio safe.
Traffic Enforcement from the Air
With over 1,000 traffic fatalities occurring annually on Ohio roads, Patrol
pilots are an integral piece of the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s ongoing
goal of significantly reducing traffic fatalities on Ohio roads.
The value of doing traffic enforcement from the air is pilots are essentially taking a speed evaluation of a vehicle over an entire mile, which is different than the officer on the ground using a laser and getting a speed at a specific moment in time, or a short tracking period through radar. Also, observing a vehicle over a mile distance allows the pilot to pick out the more severe or aggressive driving violations.
Operation TRIAD
Since the late 1990s, Targeting Reckless, Intimidating, and Aggressive
Drivers, called TRIAD, has been the Patrol’s comprehensive enforcement
and media relations program focused on the most dangerous drivers on Ohio
roads. It is a collective enforcement effort involving the Highway Patrol,
local law enforcement agencies, and the media for public awareness.
The program is generally conducted in and around metropolitan areas because that is often where the most egregious aggressive driving violations occur. These behaviors include excessive speed, erratic lane changing, and following too closely. Working in conjunction with several ground officers at the same time results in an efficient enforcement method.
Enforcement of School Bus and Railroad Crossing Violations
A primary advantage to using aircraft for assistance in these problem areas
is the difficulty in enforcing these violations for an officer on the ground.
For the officer on the ground to see the violation occurring, the violator
will also probably visually be aware of the officer, making detection of the
violation more difficult. For example, if there is a patrol car following
the bus, or going in the opposite direction, very infrequently will someone
pass by the bus stop sign.
Officers trying to enforce railroad crossing violations from the ground face similar limitations. If an officer is sitting on the other side of railroad tracks waiting for a violator to go across the track illegally, a person is probably not going to illegally cross the tracks with the officer visible.
Aerial Searches Including Assistance to other Agencies Including
FLIR
Forward Looking InfraRed (FLIR) can be an effective tool for searching for
fleeing traffic violators or other fugitives on the run. It can also be used
to help search for an Alzheimer patient who walked away from a patient care
facility, a child who wandered away from his or her home or neighborhood,
members of the public who are long-overdue arriving at a destination, and
mentally disabled people who may have left their care facility.
The majority of FLIR-related requests for Patrol services come from county sheriff’s offices and local police departments. These types of requests can greatly reduce man hours when conducting search missions. Patrol aircraft can “clear” a large search area much quicker than ground operations.
Marijuana Eradication
The benefits of having this type of aerial detection, which is available
to the law enforcement community, not only deters this type of crime, but
also enhances relations between the Patrol and other law enforcement agencies
in the state. The Highway Patrol also has an active program with the Ohio
Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation.
Marijuana plants can be easy to detect from the air, depending on the venue in which they are planted. Coloration differences and geometric planting and growing patterns on the ground alert pilots to the probability of marijuana plants being grown among other agricultural crops.
Services Available to other Law Enforcement Agencies
Nearly every type of aviation service performed by Patrol pilots is also available
by request to other law enforcement agencies. Whether for traffic enforcement,
need for FLIR for an ongoing search, platform for aerial photographs, evidence
relays from remote locations, personnel transport, the Patrol has a very open
policy about offering aviation support and services to any agency in the state
that could benefit.
Patrol pilots can assist agencies with access to any area where “birds eye view” photographs would help document a scene for evidence or prosecution purposes. Aerial photographs help better document crime and crash scenes, and can give any type of investigation another documentation perspective.
Caravan
The Patrol’s Caravan aircraft is equipped with a state of the art surveillance
package allowing covert day or night surveillance of persons or objects on
the ground. Along with the ability to view and record this information, the
technology provides for the opportunity to microwave down-link images digitally
to one or multiple ground-based receivers, allowing on-scene commanders to
make tactical decisions based upon real time information.
The surveillance package and camera on the Caravan aircraft allows pilots
to perform surveillance operations up to an altitude of 9,000 feet. The technology
is similar to that used by broadcast television stations for live news and
sports coverage. The Caravan is instrumental in the state’s ongoing
homeland security efforts, including a focused initiative intended to enhance
northern border security.