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LAPD helicopter tracker with real-time operating costs

lapdhelicoptertracker.com

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Re: LAPD helicopter tracker with real-time operating costs

#41

Post by asdff »

This was circulating recently and is sort of funny:

https://old.reddit.com/r/LosAngeles/comments/1oolm68/lapd_he...

LAPD flies quite recklessly especially downtown, where they aren't even clearing the buildings. News choppers fly much higher, well over the skyscrapers, and have no problems getting very tight shots on whatever subject there is down there.

If you follow them on ADS-B you see they really aren't used that frequently at all for calls and end up in holding patterns with nothing to do really before flying somewhere else for a new holding pattern, until their shift is up presumably.

Re: LAPD helicopter tracker with real-time operating costs

#42

Post by tcdent »

digdugdirk wrote: post #25
tcdent wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're talking about technology that's only become realistic in the last couple years. Even then, there's probably nothing off-the-shelf that would serve the current need. LAPD has been patrolling with helicopters for decades . I have yet to see a drone follow a car in high speed pursuit down the 5 at 100+ MPH.

On the other hand, I have seen drones chase down F1 cars at 100+ MPH... Realistically though, I agree with your sentiment. Solving this would drones would require a constant flock of something more akin to Predator drones. The better question is - why do we allow high speed pursuit chases in the first place?

> why do we allow high speed pursuit chases in the first place?

AFAIK they've changed their tactics in recent years, but growing up around LA these we're like sporting events on TV. It's a guilty pleasure, but almost everyone I know tuned-in and watched the chase.

Re: LAPD helicopter tracker with real-time operating costs

#43

Post by c0balt »

embedding-shape wrote: post #35
BadBadJellyBean wrote: post #21

I find it interesting that the question is "why don't they use drones". My question is: why so much air surveillance? I live in Germany. The only times I hear a helicopter is if someone is being rescued or if someones missing. I rarely see them at all.

Where in Germany though? Helicopters tend to be more popular to use for various purposes in very densely populated places, like Hong Kong or New York City, but you don't really see them much in rural areas except for emergencies.

At least for Berlin I can attest that helicopters, outside of the yellow ones for emergency care, are a very rare occurrence. I have yet so see a police helicopter outside of a large demonstration.

Re: LAPD helicopter tracker with real-time operating costs

#44

Post by asdff »

efnx wrote: post #38
asdff wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They get away from time to time from the airship. Two in one week this past august and I don't think they ever caught the suspects. One drove under an overpass and fled on foot, the other entered LAX airspace which requires waiting on clearance from ATC and got away somehow after that. I don't know why they don't just shoot a magnetic dart at the car with a gps tracker on it.

It would have to be a very special dart. Cars are mostly aluminum and foam. A piercing dart would be dangerous and a magnet would really work.

Outside certain high performance cars, most cars have steel body panels.

Re: LAPD helicopter tracker with real-time operating costs

#45

Post by Aurornis »

asdff wrote: post #31
shoddydoordesk wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are high speed police chases (100mph+) in Los Angeles — no exaggeration — on an almost daily basis. Air support is the primary defense tool for law enforcement. It's so bad that the local TV stations have their own choppers and a dedicated on-screen UI tailored for the chases with GPS-based tracking and speed. If you're lucky you can catch one of the many YouTube live streams. Here's one from....two days ago: h…

They get away from time to time from the airship. Two in one week this past august and I don't think they ever caught the suspects. One drove under an overpass and fled on foot, the other entered LAX airspace which requires waiting on clearance from ATC and got away somehow after that. I don't know why they don't just shoot a magnetic dart at the car with a gps tracker on it.

> I don't know why they don't just shoot a magnetic dart at the car with a gps tracker on it.

Hitting a car going 100mph with a magnetic dart that and getting it to hit on a metal part, not a window or trim, and specially a steel panel, is not easy at all.

Re: LAPD helicopter tracker with real-time operating costs

#46

Post by Semaphor »

embedding-shape wrote: post #35
BadBadJellyBean wrote: post #21

I find it interesting that the question is "why don't they use drones". My question is: why so much air surveillance? I live in Germany. The only times I hear a helicopter is if someone is being rescued or if someones missing. I rarely see them at all.

Where in Germany though? Helicopters tend to be more popular to use for various purposes in very densely populated places, like Hong Kong or New York City, but you don't really see them much in rural areas except for emergencies.

I live in a pop 200k city, hospital copters are a daily occurrence. Police? Never seen one, Hamburg, one of our biggest cities, apparently has 3.

Re: LAPD helicopter tracker with real-time operating costs

#47

Post by asdff »

TOMDM wrote: post #15
analog31 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are the necessary capabilities? My city has no helicopters or drones. There's a medical chopper that flies over my house regularly, but it has an obvious purpose.

Being able to follow a car involved in a hit and run and intercept them when they stop without restoring to what could be a dangerous police chase. Aerial surveillance has it's place.

Unfortunately standard practice for LAPD is to engage in a dangerous police chase along with the helicopter, not to simply follow with a helicopter.

They don't really use them for hit and run. How could they? Think about how fast that crime occurs and how much time will pass between that incident and vectoring a helicopter, which might be tied up on other work.

Less than 20% of hit and run cases are even solved in California (1). I'm sure the rate is even lower in a city like LA.

1. https://attorneyatlawmagazine.com/legal/opinion/dragged-and-...

Re: LAPD helicopter tracker with real-time operating costs

#48

Post by TravisLS »

stefan_ wrote: post #29
shoddydoordesk wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are high speed police chases (100mph+) in Los Angeles — no exaggeration — on an almost daily basis. Air support is the primary defense tool for law enforcement. It's so bad that the local TV stations have their own choppers and a dedicated on-screen UI tailored for the chases with GPS-based tracking and speed. If you're lucky you can catch one of the many YouTube live streams. Here's one from....two days ago: h…

I mean in most other places people have simply realized that unless there is an immediate risk to life, the only thing high speed police chases do is create that very risk . Nicely contrasts with all the news about the omnipresent license plate scanners - it's just pointless, don't take the risk, arrest them at your leisure.

Worth noting that many people who run from the police also have fake or stolen plates.

Re: LAPD helicopter tracker with real-time operating costs

#49

Post by shoddydoordesk »

stefan_ wrote: post #29
shoddydoordesk wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are high speed police chases (100mph+) in Los Angeles — no exaggeration — on an almost daily basis. Air support is the primary defense tool for law enforcement. It's so bad that the local TV stations have their own choppers and a dedicated on-screen UI tailored for the chases with GPS-based tracking and speed. If you're lucky you can catch one of the many YouTube live streams. Here's one from....two days ago: h…

I mean in most other places people have simply realized that unless there is an immediate risk to life, the only thing high speed police chases do is create that very risk . Nicely contrasts with all the news about the omnipresent license plate scanners - it's just pointless, don't take the risk, arrest them at your leisure.

So your proposal is to just let the criminals run away? And that somehow won't embolden them further?

"Once this baby hits 88mph, we're home free!"

Air support is used to coordinate with law enforcement up ahead to deploy spikes to end the chase.

You are just repeating empty political talking points that simply don't work in the real world.

Re: LAPD helicopter tracker with real-time operating costs

#50

Post by asdff »

citizenpaul wrote: post #19

Roughly a dollar a second which if you are a theater kid you know is about $31,536,000 mil a year. Honestly not that bad considering it provides a real service. I mean how much does the city spend on lawsuits against corrupt cops and other employees. According to the budget something like $300 MILLION on lawsuit payouts last year alone. Who gives a $hit about the helicopters. Build an app that tracks the employees ca…

People know what to do to get away from the helicopter and they have been successful at it. Two chases in one week this past august the suspect shook off the helicopter and got away. It is as easy as driving under an overpass or into protected airspace. In one case this past month, they followed a suspect all the way into san diego and allowed them to cross the border into Mexico where they were lost.
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