Flying 1,000 feet above D.C. with the Metropolitan Police Department’s Air Support Unit provides an entirely new perspective of the District. In a helicopter at sunset, the Capitol Building, National Mall, neighborhoods and soon-to-be-demolished RFK Stadium are all bathed in golden light.
Must-see aerial video from News4 shows our exclusive ride-along with MPD. From a vantage point few ever get to see, we took a look at what role MPD’s new chopper will play on Inauguration Day – as well as in everyday crime-fighting.
The airspace above D.C. has been highly restricted since the Sept. 11 attacks. Only a handful of people, mostly those in law enforcement, ever get to see the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials, the Potomac River or the Kennedy Center from a helicopter.
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“It is pretty cool to be able to fly in such restricted airspace,” said Pilot Jeff Hertel, MPD’s most senior pilot. “It is a neat situation to be in, and we even get into the prohibited airspace when we have calls within those, so you get within the most restricted, restricted airspace. It is something special.”
How MPD uses its newest chopper
Hertel flies Falcon 1, MPD’s chopper. It’s equipped with technology that helps the crew track fleeing suspects, follow car chases and monitor crowds. An augmented reality system on board can help the crew find a person or vehicle on the ground.
“Say you're going out and you're looking for somebody in an alleyway or a specific address they give out that the guy ran into. The inlay that comes out there on the map will show you exactly what house it is,” Hertel said.
Falcon 1 is able to get across D.C. in a matter of seconds. Whether with the naked eye or using on-board cameras, it can give units on the ground the upper hand.
Last year, Falcon 1 ran nearly 1,300 calls, assisted in hundreds of arrests and helped during a river rescue on July 4.
Pilot Marco Monteiro and Tactical Officer Geoffrey Napper showed how the helicopter handles. It can set down in a neighborhood if necessary.
Monteiro likes to say he’s “Fighting crime one flight at a time.” The pilots are civilians, while the tactical crew members are sworn officers.
MPD’s first airborne unit launched in 1962 but was grounded in 1996 because of budget cuts. The unit relaunched in 2021. This newest chopper was added to the fleet in June.
While the work the flight crews do is dangerous and crucial to public safety, one can’t help but be struck by the incredible vistas they get to see every time they take off.
With MPD’s Air Support Unit, News4 took in the sunset from 1,000 feet above the city we love.
