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How to Find Out Why an LAPD Helicopter is Circling Above Your Home
Photo by Marshall Astor via Flickr
Every so often, we get e-mails in the middle of the night asking why an LAPD helicopter is circling above and shining a light down on their street. If you've lived here long enough, we all know this is a common experience. After all, the LAPD, who boasts that they have the "largest municipal airborne law enforcement operation in the world," has 17 helicopters and one twin engine plane (unconfirmed, but we heard they may actually have just bought a new helicopter, making that 18). With that said, helicopter noise is an ubiquitous aural sensation that's here to stay. So if a helicopter is circling around your home or work for a good period of time, they are happy to take your call at 213-485-2600 and let you know.
Of course, it would be much more efficient if they just used Twitter or some broadcast method to inform the public when one is circling for ten or more minutes. And it's good time for that considering Captain James Miller from the Van Nuys Division just took over the Air Support Division and that the City Council this week mandated departments to look into using Twitter. In fact, one of the reasons the LA Fire Department alerts the public when their helicopters are being used for a hoist or lost hiker search is to avoid a mass of phone calls asking why one is circling above their home. And it works.
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Your support for independent local news is critical. With federal funding for public media gone, LAist faces a $1.7 million yearly shortfall. Speaking frankly, how much reader support we receive now will determine the strength of this reliable source of local information now and for years to come.
This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
That’s why we’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
