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Day in the Life of a Metro Police Pilot-John Dunn
FOX 17 News By: John Dunn
They are crime fighters you never see up close.
The Metro Police Aviation unit is searching for suspects day and night from 1,000 feet above the ground.
There are no blue lights required on this police vehicle.
"McDonnell Douglas, 500-E Model," says Sgt. James Johnson.
The fleet inside Metros Aviation Unit totals seven helicopters.
"This particular helicopter is one of our night ships," says Sgt. Johnson.
Sgt. James Johnson has been a police pilot for 11.5 years.
His day always begins with an inspection.
"Looking for leaks, looking at my turbine. Looking for cracks on my turbine," says Sgt. James Johnson.
Sgt. Johnson says it may sound clich, but safety comes first.
Even though Metro has two full time mechanics on staff, each pilot must inspect his helicopter from back to front before taking off.
Everything checks out, including the weather forecast.
"Weather is really good today. Visibility is unrestricted," says Sgt. Johnson.
Before he can climb aboard, Sgt. Johnson first meets with some special visitors.
"Our primary mission is to assist patrol. Patrol are the ground units," says Sgt. Johnson.
Davidson Countys current grand jury is here for a tour.
"All we want to do with the helicopter is pin the bad guy down," says Sgt. Johnson.
Sgt. Johnson explains the high tech features on the units night-time helicopter, including a powerful searchlight, and an infrared camera that detects heat called a FLIR.
"So, that's just some of the equipment we use," says Sgt. Johnson.
After the public relations comes the police work.
Sgt. Johnson is in the pilot seat preparing for take-off.
A few last minute checks before the helicopter leaves the ground.
The skies above Nashville are clear. Sgt. Johnson can see for miles.
Its not long before the first call for help a reported robbery in Madison.
"No real suspect information," says Sgt. Johnson.
Sgt. Johnson circles above the store looking for someone hiding from police. He later learns the shoplifter got away.
Farther down Gallatin Road, Sgt. Johnson flies over an accident scene which resulted in the partial collapse of a building.
Next comes one of the most common calls for Metros helicopter unit a home burglary.
Sgt. Johnson keys in the South Nashville address on his GPS, and at speeds topping 130mph, it doesnt take long to arrive.
"Looking for someone on foot, behind, or adjacent to, or in the vicinity of the residence," says Sgt. Johnson.
It turns out the call is a false alarm. The helicopter continues its patrol.
Wherever he flies Sgt. Johnson is an eye in the sky...spotting street level drug deals, looking for missing people, and providing assistance to policemen on the ground.
"It's a fun job, it's challenging, every day is different," says Sgt. Johnson.
Back at the hangar, Sgt. Johnson says its gratifying to know hes making a difference.
"Very few criminals look up, they're always looking back, they don't look up," says Sgt. Johnson.
Now, criminals are on notice. Police are watching everywhere.
Sgt. Johnson says one of the biggest misconceptions people have is that the helicopter is constantly involved in car chases.
He says those calls only account for about 5% of his total workload.
In addition to Johnson, Metro Police currently have two other pilots.
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