Two high-definition, state-of-the-art cameras are now patrolling San Diego streets, from the skies.
The San Diego Police Department's Airborne Law Enforcement Unit (ABLE) just received its second FLIR 380 HD camera.
The cameras record very sharp images, and its zoom capability is extensive.
"Before, you would see an image, you might not be sure what it might be. It could be a human being hiding, or it could be a beehive. With the new camera, the pictures are so clear, it takes a lot of the guesswork out of it," says ABLE pilot Phil Cady.
Each camera is mounted on an Airbus A-Star helicopter, and uses a GPS moving mapping system.
That means the camera can automatically find a target, even from miles away, regardless of what direction the helicopter is flying.
The camera and police radio are monitored in the cockpit by a tactical flight officer (TFO) and a pilot.
The crew began using the first FLIR 380 HD in July.
"The HD camera helped us catch a burglary in progress before officers were able to get to the location. The GPS on the camera zoomed in when the helicopter was still two miles out," says ABLE Sergeant Craig Evans.
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ABLE is on patrol 7 days a week, about 10 hours a day, and flies out of Montgomery Field in Kearny Mesa.
The crew helps patrol officers on the ground by frequently arriving at a crime scene first, setting up a perimeter from above, and offsetting potential dangers.
"When you take a dozen officers that need to search a canyon step by step, we can search that same canyon in a matter of minutes," says Cady.
ABLE has four Airbus A-Star helicopters, purchased in 2005.
By this summer, all four helicopters will be equipped to operate the new HD cameras.
The cameras use thermal imaging, which works by comparing heat sources. So no matter how dark it is outside, the camera still sees.
"We can change the angles and perspective that we're searching. It makes it more difficult for someone to hide from us," says Cady.
The new HD camera also has a longer lens and better stabilization.
"We're able to fly much higher and much further away from the scene than we did in the past and that lowers the amount of noise that we put out to the folks on the ground," says ABLE chief pilot Todd Jager.
One of the helicopter's most valuable assets is speed. It takes about 12 minutes to go from Del Mar to San Ysidro, at a top speed of 155 miles an hour.
"In patrol, you're point of view. You're what you see directly in front of you. Here we see the whole gamut, almost as if you're coaching the game from the press box. You can see the whole field at the same time," says TFO Ryan Welch.
ABLE has come a long way since it was formed by the San Diego Police Department in 1987, with two helicopters confiscated from a drug asset seizure.
In 2013, ABLE responded to more than 72-hundred radio calls, was first on scene in nearly 25-hundred calls, and took part in about 18-hundred arrests.
"The senior officers have figured out how to do a great job. They turned around and trained us. They don't hold anything back, and give us all the tricks of the trade they figured out over time," says Officer Welch.
ABLE is now known as the go-to unit for infrared tactics among law enforcement agencies around the country. Other agencies routinely ask for advice from ABLE when starting up their own air patrol unit.
"By us using the equipment, all the time, constantly, we're completely we're in tune with the gear. We're completely practiced with using it," says Officer Jager.
A police officer must have at least 4 years of experience in patrol to apply for a TFO position. Most have 8 -12 years at the department when they are accepted into the unit.
ABLE pilots must work as a TFO first, and have a private pilot's license. The department pays for commercial flight training.
Pilots must also learn to fly in a very complicated air space.
"With Lindbergh Field, military flights in and out of Miramar, and several general aviation airports, we're flying in the 9th most crowded air space in the world," says Sgt. Evans.
The FLIR 380 HD camera costs $380,000 dollars. A Homeland Security grant paid for the first one.
The San Diego Police Department used a state grant to buy the second camera.
ABLE recently secured funding for a third FLIR 380 HD camera, through a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
It will likely be operational early next year.
