Welcome to The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical Helicasts.

This is part three of a three-part series. This series is important for all public safety aviation units, because we discuss the audit released by the LA City Controller’s office on the LAPD Air Support Division. 

The LAPD Air Support Division is well equipped to deal with and respond to the report to justify its program based on the stats it keeps and the details of its program.

We many times have discussed how air support programs are the low-hanging fruit when it comes to politicians and bean counters. This three-part series will talk about LAPD’s air support program and how what they do will help shape the way your agency keeps track of stats and program information.

To discuss the audit we brought in Mike Daly, who retired from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) after nearly 34 years of service. If you ever went to LAPD’s Air Crew course, you most likely heard Daly’s course and his legendary one liners.  

Daly grew up in Latham, New York, enlisting in the military immediately after graduating high school in 1976. After his discharge from active duty, he returned to New York and attended college. In May 1983, he was hired by the LAPD and completed nearly 34 years of service with the below listed assignments.

Daly worked his way to Air Support, having worked assignments in patrol, including 77th. He was a metro K9 handler, worked rampart as Gang Unit OIC sergeant and watch commander before he was selected to the air support division as a watch commander and command pilot.

Daly also completed 24 years of military service with the U. S. Army in both the active and reserve components. SSG Daly served over seven years on active duty including an 18-month combat tour in Iraq.

In this episode, we discuss using stats to prove your aviation program is essential and not a luxury.

We discuss some of the academic studies that document, through empirical evidence, that air support units reduce crime.

Lastly, we discuss the use of social media to promote aviation programs. 

Thank you to our sponsors Bell, Anodyne Electronics Manufacturing and SHOTOVER.