In 1972 the Columbus Police Helicopter Unit
was created and immediately became an integral part of the Columbus Division of
Police. Since the inception of the unit over 200,000 flight hours have been
flown. Today, the unit averages 4000 flight hours per year with base flight
operations of 16 hours a day, 7 days a week. The unit utilizes 5 single-engine
turbine helicopters which are flown by 21 sworn officers and supervisors. The
mission of the Helicopter Unit is direct support for ground patrol officers.
The base mission, aircraft, flight hours, and personnel make the CPD Helicopter
Unit one of the most professional municipal law enforcement aviation units in
the United States. The unit is critical in suspect searches, missing children
and elderly, vehicular pursuits, and assistance through mutual aid to other law
enforcement agencies throughout the state of Ohio. Air support for officers
underlines the base principle of force multiplication which contributes to the
safety of citizens and officers.
In July of 2009 the unit moved base
operations to a state of the art heliport. The heliport is 29,906 square feet
which includes two hangers that total over 20,000 square feet and an
administrative complex of 9,056 square feet. The administrative complex
includes a classroom, aviation library, flight operations center, fitness area
and supervisory and conference rooms.
In 2012, CPD became the first Aviation
Section in the country to achieve accreditation by the Public Safety
Accreditation Commission (PSAAC).
Statistically the unit is directly
responsible for annual averages of over 300 felony arrests, over 200
misdemeanor arrests, and is first on the scene of dispatched runs approximately
40% of the time with an average response time of 1.3 minutes.