Introduction
Historically, law enforcement agencies have used multiple technological advances to enhance their capacity to combat criminal activity and preserve safety for everyone. The improvements in technology have improved several aspects of law enforcement, such as communication and mobility. Introducing two-way radios, cell phones, and computers into police vehicles, for instance, has improved information availability and transmission. Recently, law enforcement operations on the ocean have been altered by vehicles like wave runners and boats. In contrast, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft have provided law enforcement activity in the air to support police operations.
Each vehicle has played a significant part in changing and enhancing law enforcement operations. Finance is essential to successful operations in airborne law enforcement. A lack of finance to fund military budgets causes failure in achieving missions. This research paper examines the financial impact of airborne law enforcement. The paper explores the costs of airborne equipment such as helicopters and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). The paper also examined the challenges in financing military activities, their impacts, and how to reduce the costs while improving productivity.
Historical Perspective of Airborne Law Enforcement
Los Angeles and New York were the initial law enforcement departments establishing aviation units. The units utilized fixed-wing planes to help rescue crews with minimum engagement in everyday patrol operations. These aircraft were initially utilized in New York City in the 1940s. They were used for tasks like locating cars “submerged in the marshes of Queens and Brooklyn,” discovering fires, saving persons caught in the ice, and chasing cars (Alpert et al., n.d.). The helicopter’s capability to navigate in the sky made it the preferred aircraft over a fixed-wing one.
The army’s surplus scheme has allowed numerous agencies to obtain first-time aircraft, contributing to the exponential rise of police aviation in recent years. Numerous smaller organizations can now participate in military aviation because of this initiative, which enables organizations to obtain military planes for little or no cash. Before, most of these were incapable of initiating an airborne unit. Many organizations have since bought “purpose-built” aircraft—aircraft created especially for their missions—as these initiatives have grown. In the U.S., airplanes are operated by over 800 police departments (Solosky, 2008). Several additional nations, such as England, Canada, Australia, Germany, Dubai, Japan, England, and Italy, regularly use specialized airborne law enforcement teams.
In the U.S., the purpose of police aviation teams is to actively promote the work of the police. All tiers of law enforcement, encompassing municipal, state, and national authorities, are represented using aircraft and helicopters. Little single-engine planes, helicopters, and enormous corporate jets are among the types of aircraft currently operated. The major federal departments, including Customs, the DEA, and the FBI, inevitably have sizable fleets of helicopters and airplanes.
Unit Make-up
In most cases, airborne law enforcement includes two-unit models. The first is an airline crew consisting of two sworn officers. As a team, the two team members—one serving as the airplane’s pilot and the other as the strategic flight officer—achieve their goals in a safe and efficient manner. Sometimes, they are specific responsibilities, and in other situations, all crew members are pilots and determine who will do the strategic flight officer duty. In the subsequent model, a sworn strategic flight officer works with a private pilot (Solosky, 2008). Organizations choose the second approach because locating competent and certified pilots might be difficult. Most smaller departments lack the people to recruit pilots due to their size. Occasionally, insurance guidelines require them to have a particular number of flight hours, regardless of whether they have pilots.
Missions Performed by Airborne Law Enforcement
An airborne law enforcement unit might be assigned to any operation. Today’s airborne law enforcement teams conduct regular surveillance operations, patrols, rescue operations, counterterrorism searches, transportation, traffic enforcement, car pursuits, and management and command for emergencies utilizing helicopters and airplanes. Numerous aircraft types, such as turboprops, jet planes, and all-size helicopters, are used to execute these operations (Solosky, 2008). While federal organizations use highly complex and huge aircraft, certain agencies use modest, light-engine aircraft. Using big commercial aircraft for international flights to remote and frequently quite dangerous regions worldwide is one of the missions carried out at the national level. Airborne law enforcement uses aircraft, from newly bought, purpose-built planes for missions to army surplus planes (Solosky, 2008). For instance, the Sheriff’s Office in Los Angeles County conducts rescue missions in California’s hills and valleys using an enormous army surplus plane called “Air 5.”
Financial Costs Associated with Airborne Law Enforcement
Helicopters
The helicopter’s effectiveness and usefulness were recognized, and other organizations began to utilize it after New York. The very first helicopter was purchased by Los Angeles County in 1956, and its main function was to support traffic control on the area’s roads. After helicopters were deployed in the 1965 L.A. protests, their use increased. Throughout these riots, the helicopter helped identify issues and guide police and soldiers to places of concern. Helicopters can be used for many types of law enforcement missions. The possible advantages of police using helicopters might be evaluated by looking at these roles. The range of tasks involves responding to emergencies, patrolling, supporting a combat force, and engaging in fast-moving chases (Alpert et al., n.d.). For example, in response to emergencies, numerous well-known incidents have involved helping trapped individuals who were difficult to access from the surface and conducting search and rescue operations.
Helicopters can assist law enforcement efforts. Nevertheless, using them comes with expenses, both indirect and direct. Helicopter expenses comprise the price of the first purchase, energy, and servicing, in addition to the expenses of its pilots and additional flying staff. An entirely novel helicopter in the United States might run anywhere from $1.5 million to $25 million, depending on the make and model (Ryzhkov, 2023). Based on the model and extras, helicopters utilized by law enforcement can cost anywhere between $500,000 and $2 million to buy (Alpert et al., n.d.).
Additionally, there are many expenses connected with maintaining an airplane. An area must be established or changed to allow for touchdown and space for storage. Using space in already-existing airports is one possibility available to organizations. This option would provide quick accessibility to storage, gasoline, and maintenance.
In addition, there are the fuel and training expenses for helicopter pilots. Government documents show that the sheriff and police divisions in Los Angeles have accumulated one of the biggest helicopter units out of any local police agency worldwide. Residents of the county and city pay millions of dollars annually for surveillance that unjustly hovers over disadvantaged neighborhoods of color. There is little proof that the helicopters are still necessary after years of use. The agencies primarily use research done over fifty years ago to support their claims regarding the efficacy of aircraft patrols (Albaladejo, 2022). Those past research are outdated, dubious, and more comprehensive, and recent tests reveal no connection between using aerial patrols and reductions in crime levels and that such surveillance costs more than their worth regarding benefits.
Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)
Law enforcement organizations have been using unmanned aerial systems (UAS), sometimes known as drones, more frequently in tandem with the rise in the utilization of these devices for both leisure and business reasons. According to a 2020 estimate, over 1,500 local and state safety organizations had drones at that period. This figure is an increase of over 500 organizations from the approximated 2018 number. Agencies utilize various technology, including unmanned aircraft, for various functions (Congressional Research Service, 2023). These include intelligence and collection of evidence, telecommuting, and operational assistance.
Significant expenses are also incurred by airborne law enforcement from UAS. The price of military drones has attracted much attention in the military technology sector. Considering their size, competence, and abilities, army drones can range in price significantly from one to another. The amount of technology employed, the components needed, and the intricate details of the drone’s structure are some elements that affect their costs. The price of military UAVs may vary depending on the particular drone model and its special characteristics (Leslie, 2023). Technological developments are a major factor in the price difference since drones with advanced features and higher-end equipment are typically more costly.
The Heron drone, which Israel Aerospace Industries produces, costs about $140 million for each unit, including the drone and the base station. It is among the most complex drones available, and its high price is because of its advanced characteristics and modern technology. It can stay in the air at greater heights for longer, making it a useful aircraft for distant surveillance operations (Leslie, 2023). Another type of drone is the male drone. Medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) drones are essential for warfare, reconnaissance, and monitoring. These drones are an expensive investment for military organizations, usually costing around $10 million and $15 million (Leslie, 2023). They are expensive but also come with various features that make them worthwhile. They may remain in the air for long due to their remarkable stamina.
Drone maintenance and training expenditures are another expense associated with airborne law enforcement. Servicing is a major factor when calculating the total cost of ownership for military drones. Drone maintenance expenses may vary based on the drone’s sophistication and the degree of upkeep needed. The education and training of support workers and drone pilots largely cause the operational costs of military drones. Comprehensive courses covering every facet of upkeep and operation unique to the drone’s structure are part of army drone instruction (Leslie, 2023). The training costs vary based on the drone’s intricacy and instruction length. Apart from the training program, there are additional costs, like salary for drone operators and the need for an education center. Additionally, there are operating expenses. The fuel expense for military drones is an important part of their operating expenses (Leslie, 2023). These expenses can have a significant financial impact, especially in light of the vast number of drones used by armed forces globally.
The Benefits
Numerous agencies have conducted multiple investigations to evaluate the benefits and efficiency of police aviation. According to studies, whenever a police aircraft took part, the number of worries and car chase concerns increased dramatically (Solosky, 2008). Most notably, when asked what they thought was the best thing about law enforcement aviation, 76 percent of police personnel in Canadian research stated that it had boosted their feeling of security. Modern technology, paired with the special abilities of airplanes, has resulted in a potent and efficient weapon. The newest innovations in aerospace technology, including warning displays, “glass cockpits,” and sophisticated GPS systems, are fitted in modern airplanes. When combined with the newest innovations in police technology, like microwave downlinking, forward-looking infrared (FLIR), and night vision glasses, the result is an arsenal that is both extremely powerful and efficient in combating criminality (Solosky, 2008). This weapon has the potential to preserve lives, offer amazing outcomes, and give patrol officers a great deal of confidence, which enhances their ability to perform their duties.
The most significant role in surveillance is the assistance helicopters may offer ground personnel. Helicopters have supported patrol teams by overseeing drug activities, locating criminals, and managing border searches, among other tasks. They can coordinate chase operations and stakeouts from “a vantage point no ground unit could command all indirect, second-to-second support of the forces on the ground” (Alpert et al., n.d.). When an officer is in difficulties, helicopter support might help by giving instructions and, if needed, putting on force. Stated differently, the helicopter’s most prevalent benefit is the information that the observer or pilot may supply to the ground-based authorities. This data includes the position or direction of a running suspect, traffic patterns or additional environmental variables, and the cooperation and direction of ground-based troops (Alpert et al., n.d.). Additionally, the helicopter might help officers answer calls faster by lowering the requirement for fast speeds.
Challenges in Financing Military Operations
The military contributes significantly to national security; however, there are large deficits in funding for their activities. The impartial 2018 NDS Commission suggested that military funding must expand by 3-5 percent in practical terms to implement the National Defense Strategy (NDS). The truth is that the DoD top-line budget’s actual spending capacity decreased from 2019-2023, and the request for the financial year 2023 (FY23) is more than $200 billion less than what could have been needed to attain actual 5% growth (Whitley, 2023). However, this spending power decrease has not been encountered equality throughout DoD. From FY19 to FY23, the military’s purchasing power decreased by about $40 billion; the remainder of the DoD barely broke even or saw slight gains (Whitley, 2023). These rises are in sectors like space and nuclear advancement, which are essential expenditures for the NDS. The issue is that investments are necessary across the board to preserve an advantage over near-peer rivals, prevent their hostility, and win the conflict if deterrence is ineffective.
This unequal load greatly impacts the budget of Military troops. O&S financing aids in the operations and maintenance of the armed forces. These requests resulted in an O&S spending need of around $139 billion, or nearly 80% of the military’s spending plan, in the fiscal year 23 President’s Budget proposal. As the military’s end strength declines, it has a heavier operational load that compromises its preparedness (by force rivalry) and modernization (via resource competition) (Whitley, 2023). War becomes more possible due to enemies’ increased confidence and lack of preparedness. When a war does break out, American losses increase, and the conflict lasts longer due to a lack of preparation.
The Army will see “serious effects” on its capacity to assist troops and their households, maintain readiness for emergencies, and promote modernization initiatives if it does not receive adequate, prompt funds. A complete budget year with few resources would be detrimental to military personnel, preparedness, modernization initiatives, and infrastructure development projects (Smith, 2022). Additionally, it undermines the military’s capacity to compete now and in the future and stay up with possible opponents. The army has operated under an ongoing resolution except for one fiscal year beginning in fiscal 2010. The entire effect on the military under a one-year continuous-resolution might reach $12.9 billion (Smith, 2022). This amount comprises $9.2 billion in misplaced finances, up to $1.1 billion in army pay difficulties, and $2.6 billion in effects from 147 initiatives and grants, such as household housing initiatives, modernization, and army building.
Besides other effects, the Army would be compelled to postpone acquisition initiatives and be unable to launch new modernization projects. Decreased flight time may leave aviation less prepared, troops’ professional military schooling might be postponed, and training for 25% of second lieutenants entering the military from ROTC could be suspended (Smith, 2022). The Army’s capacity to maintain readiness and accomplish its modernization objectives will probably be hampered by the “compounding impact” caused by these postponements and interruptions.
Funding significantly influences Army modernization. Army yearly modernization financing has decreased by $4 billion since NDS’s call in 2018 for speed-up advancement. Navy and Air Force yearly modernization funding has risen by $10 billion and nearly $20 billion, respectively (Whitley, 2023). With its “night court” procedure, the military could finance modernization up until this point in this deteriorating budget climate. However, the Army’s capacity to finance modernization with dwindling funds is eroding. The program’s expenses will rise sharply as it starts to move from the research and development (R&D) phase to the acquisition phase.
Reducing High Financial Costs in ALE
Innovation is fueled by change and difficulties. Unmanned Arial Systems (UAS) use in public safety operations is one noteworthy illustration (Beyor, 2022). UAVs are becoming more and more crucial in strategic missions and contemporary conflict. These adaptable, autonomous, or distantly operated aerial vehicles are becoming essential parts of military planning, information collection, monitoring, and other areas. UAVs have developed quickly during the past 30 years, bringing about advancements in detectors, microprocessors, communication, and software technology (Kanat, 2023). UAVs were first primarily used for observation and surveillance. However, they have been highly utilized in warfare as their systems matured during the early 2000s. UAVs are now indispensable in the sector due to these advancements, which have also contributed to the growth of safety and tactical approaches.
Indeed, UAS lowers costs and boosts efficiency in military operations. UAVs improve total productivity by saving money on workers, operating more quickly, and accessing difficult-to-reach locations. Increased productivity emphasizes increasing production more than cost efficiency does cutting expenses. Improving overall effectiveness, cutting operating expenses, and simplifying procedures are ways that incorporating technologies like unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into different industries helps achieve these objectives (Kanat, 2023). UAVs have become a game-changing accelerator for increased efficiency and expense reductions across various industries. As a result, UAVs have altered the dynamics of operations and achieved financial benefits through more productive and affordable solutions.
Conclusion
There are high costs in airborne law enforcement, from purchasing equipment to maintenance to training personnel. Undoubtedly, an adequately funded, appropriately trained, and effectively supervised airborne enforcement unit may significantly impact the agency’s ability to efficiently fulfill its duties, targets, and objectives while contributing to its ground forces’ safety. For instance, using a plane during a chase significantly improves protection, and a well-planned aerial chase virtually ensures that the person is successfully apprehended. Airborne law enforcement is becoming more prevalent in the police scene and is regarded as essential to the activities of many organizations. Pun intended, for airborne law enforcement, the sky is the limit.
References
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Smith, E. (2022, January 13). Delayed Army Funding Creates Adverse Effects. AUSA. https://www.ausa.org/news/delayed-army-funding-creates-adverse-effects
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