In July 1984, the Sheriff’s proposal for a helicopter support unit was approved by the Board of Supervisors. After selection of personnel and equipment was completed, an extensive training program began. On May 21, 1985, during ceremonies dedicated to the life and memory of actor John Wayne, the Sheriff’s first two helicopters entered service as “Duke I” and “Duke II”.
The Air Support Bureau is part of the Airport Operations Division commanded by Captain Dennis DeMaio and managed by Lt. Mike Mullen. The current members of Air Support are: Sergeant Mike Sharpe and Deputies Santos Garcia, Don Dear, Mike Russell, Dave Tilstra, Mark Northart, Rob Mergen, and Jeff Crowley.
Air Support is tasked with a variety of missions which can include: assisting patrol units with pursuits, in-progress crimes, day/night searches for suspects or missing persons and assisting in special operations with SWAT, K-9 and Dive Teams. Other assignments can include aerial surveillances, search and rescue, photo mission support, and aerial firefighting (with “Duke” often being the first on scene dropping water on the fire). In 2006, Air Support conducted 2,083 flights totaling 2,700 flight hours. They responded to 1,434 calls for service and assisted in approximately 200 arrests.Through the years the Air Support helicopters have evolved from the first Hughes 500E to the 520N to the MD600N (in 1998). The latest aircraft is the American Eurocopter AS350B2 (ASTAR), which entered service in May of 2005.
These are technologically advanced aircraft equipped with such devices as a Wescam Forward Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) thermal imaging camera, a gyro stabilized color video camera with 14X magnification, a 50-million candle power Nightsun, and gyro stabilized binoculars. The aircraft also has a Lojack stolen vehicle tracking system and a GPS-based moving map system capable of displaying Thomas Brothers maps, topographical maps and aviation maps. The flight crew is also equipped with night vision goggles that increase Air Support’s night mission capabilities significantly.
Through the years, Air Support has been extremely effective in assisting narcotic units with discovering marijuana fields growing in the Cleveland National Forest and surrounding areas. In 2006 alone, Air Support assisted in finding over 25,000 marijuana plants growing in several locations with a street value of over 16 million dollars. Because of these efforts by the Air Support Bureau and the Department’s Narcotics Unit, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department won the 2006 National Marijuana Eradication Award, which was presented to members of the Department in Washington D.C.
Over the years the Air Support Bureau has been recognized for their excellence by several agencies and organizations. The Bureau has received several Commendation Awards and Letters of Appreciation. Individual member awards include the Department’s Medal of Valor, Medal of Courage and three American Red Cross “Bravo for Bravery” Life Saving Medals. In 2005, two members of Air Support won the “Captain Gus Crawford” Memorial Aircrew of the Year Award in recognition of their outstanding performance in Airborne Law Enforcement operations.