Police Department Air
Support Unit Status Report
Public Safety, Finance and Strategic Support Committee
February 20, 2025, Item (d)3.
Presenter: Deputy Chief Brandon Sanchez
2 Air Support Unit Background
● Vital component of the City’s public safety strategy
● Unit consists of one sergeant, three pilots, and two
tactical flight officers (all sworn)
● Pilot oversees overall aircraft safety, flight, and
communication with air traffic control
● Tactical flight officers handle law enforcementrelated operations, such as managing pursuits, locating missing persons, and coordinating rescue
efforts
Air Support
One A-Star Helicopter
Flies 7 days a week, 4.5 hours a day*
*AIR3 has ~55% downtime per year for maintenance
Assists:
● Patrol
● Special Operations
● SJFD/CalFire
● Rescues
3 By the Numbers: Patrol Assists - 2024
Pursuits
1,230 83% 460 30
Events Arrests Guns
Recovered
108 11
Located Missing
Persons
4 First On-Scene
Force Multiplier
● With staffing shortages, Air Support provides an
immediate solution to making patrol more
efficient.
=
● Crime Analysis determined one officer in AIR3
makes as many stolen vehicle recoveries as 38
officers on the ground.
5 Limiting Liability AIR3 can locate the armed suspect before officers search, protecting officers by giving them valuable
time/distance & better use of force decisions.
AIR3 is the only tool we have
to catch a fleeing felon.
New “Tracking” policy on AIR3
pursuits greatly lowers liability
(when AIR3’s available).
AIR3 cancels pursuits and
surveils the suspect, which
means fewer collisions.
6 No other airships in our county, or neighboring counties, during nighttime.
Availability
7 ● AIR3 is available to assist patrol for 8% of the hours in the years ● The Department estimates that a fixed-wing aircraft, along with an additional A-Star helicopter, would enable aerial coverage for 100% of the time 8 Next Steps
● Continue maintenance and repairs to mitigate
risks of future incidents
● City Council adopted aerial support in the
legislative program
● Explore funding opportunities through state and
federal grants
● Complete aircraft hangar expansion project at San
José Mineta International Airport, anticipated
summer 2025 (Measure T project)
Police Department Air
Support Unit Status Report
Public Safety, Finance and Strategic Support Committee
February 20, 2025, Item (d)3.
Presenter: Deputy Chief Brandon Sanchez
9