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Air Support Unit
King County Sheriff's Office Air Support Unit provides 24/7 support for all of King County and surrounding agencies/regional partners.
This unit provides a strategic combination of Helicopters and various sUAS (small Unmanned Aeries Systems) and UAVs (unmanned Aerial Vehicles) for many types of incidents. Learn more!
Drones
KCSO has 27 small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) pilots and 35 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). UAVs are not only available for KCSO operation. We make them available to other agencies and routinely use them to assist our regional partners.
sUAS year-end reports
2023 |
2022 |
| Year-end report 2022 | |
| Cluster map for sUAS deployments 2023 |
FAQ's
UAVs are deployed to the following types of incidents (random surveillance is prohibited):
- Situational awareness for large-scale public safety events (bomb disposal unit, HAZMAT, fires, natural or man-made disasters, etc.)
- Search & Rescue (amber / silver alerts, lost children, etc.)
- Deployment during crimes in-progress or crimes just occurred
- Crime scene documentation and reconstruction
- High-risk tactical operations (SWAT)
- UAVs are not only available for KCSO operation.
- We make them available to other agencies and routinely use them to assist our regional partners.
Guardian 1’s range, flight time, and sensor capability are far superior to commercially obtainable UAVs and UAVs will never replace Guardian 1. UAVs supplement G1 during the following situations:
- G1 is not available due to weather preventing safe flight for crewed aircraft.
- G1 staffing limitations.
- G1 and UAVs work together during a large-scale incident in which more than one air asset is required.
- UAVs are used to fly inside structures to locate suspects, thus providing incident commanders with information necessary to work to peacefully resolve high-risk incidents.
KCSO uses 3 types of UAVs
Helicopter - primary duties
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Capabilities
- Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR)
- 30-million candlepower “Night Sun” searchlights
- Real-Time microwave video downlink of ongoing events to commanders and other decision-makers on the ground
- Specialized radio tracking equipment to locate bank robbery suspects (Pro Net) and stolen vehicles (LoJack)
- Search & Rescue
- Locating lost/missing people: urban and wilderness
- Inserting rescuers into remote locations
- Extracting victims from remote locations
- Rapid Deployment of Special Teams (SWAT, Bomb Squad, Marine Unit, etc.)
- Platform for aerial photography and digital video of large outdoor locations (e.g., crime scenes and disaster damage, etc.)
- Aerial communications platform equipped to communicate with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies and firefighting agencies on their frequencies.
Air support services and missions
Force multiplier
A law enforcement helicopter is often referred to as a “force multiplier.” It has become an indispensable part of the Sheriff’s Office. Nationwide studies have shown that helicopter/car teams have higher felony arrest rates than that of car teams alone. The helicopter’s aerial advantage gives it many more times the surveillance capability of a ground unit. This vantage point, plus the speed in which a helicopter can get a trained observer over a crime scene, provides containment that often essentially assures an arrest. It does so efficiently, without having to pull other patrol units from their areas of responsibility.
Patrol
A helicopter’s vantage point permits observation of activities not seen by ground officers, such as on rooftops and in fenced yards. At normal patrol speeds and altitudes, a helicopter can keep an object in view on the ground ten times longer than a ground officer moving at normal street patrol speeds. Our helicopters are equipped with tracking equipment capable of locating bank robbers and stolen vehicles. We have color and forward looking infrared (FLIR) cameras and 30 million-candle power spotlights that enable us to find suspects at night.
Inter-agency support
In addition to its many law enforcement applications, the helicopter may be required to assist other agencies in diversified missions. We have assisted the Secret Service, FBI, DEA, Customs and local law enforcement with a wide variety of surveillances and other missions. In many jurisdictions, law enforcement helicopters are often used to transport local and government officials and visiting dignitaries, providing a significant and economical improvement in security.
Search and rescue
The helicopter’s excellent visibility and the ability to hover make it a very effective Search & Rescue (SAR) vehicle. We have assisted the SAR community throughout Washington and Oregon. Unhampered by terrain, a helicopter can quickly bypass ground obstacles, saving valuable time. It can search large areas quickly, allowing ground searchers to concentrate their efforts in other search areas. Using the hoist we can insert rescuers and evacuate victims. The time saved can easily mean the difference between life and death.