Aviation Support
Specially trained Counterdrug Aviation Operations (CDAOPS) pilots use OH-58 Kiowa helicopters to perform aerial
reconnaissance and observation of suspected illegal drug activity. A trained Law Enforcement Agent (LEA) flies onboard the helicopter to provide an aerial vantage point and communication to ground LEA’s during illegal drug investigations such as “Buy/Busts”, “Reverse Buys”, Search Warrants, Special Response Team building entries, etc. Another distinct CDAOPS mission is Marijuana Eradication which occurs primarily between June 15th and September 15th of each year. Pilots, with an LEA onboard, fly to locate Marijuana growing operations. Ground units are then guided to the Marijuana plots to harvest and destroy the plants and reduce the supply. The Aviation unit also provides “static” aircraft displays for drug awareness activities such as “Red Ribbon Week”, D.A.R.E. graduations, National Night Out, and other drug-free community events. Special equipment used to support CDAOPS include a Global Positioning System (GPS), Thermal Imaging System (Infra-red), High Powered Illumination System (30 million candle power spot-light), Wulfsberg communication radio, and video recorder that captures images on video so that LEA’s can use the evidence as necessary.
