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LAPD helicopter tracker with real-time operating costs

(lapdhelicoptertracker.com)
112 points polalavik | 1 comments | 21 Nov 25 22:11 UTC | HN request time: 0.202s | source
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BadBadJellyBean ◴[21 Nov 25 22:48 UTC] No.46009959[source]▶
I find it interesting that the question is "why don't they use drones". My question is: why so much air surveillance? I live in Germany. The only times I hear a helicopter is if someone is being rescued or if someones missing. I rarely see them at all.
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shoddydoordesk ◴[21 Nov 25 22:52 UTC] No.46009992[source]▶
There are high speed police chases (100mph+) in Los Angeles — no exaggeration — on an almost daily basis. Air support is the primary defense tool for law enforcement.

It's so bad that the local TV stations have their own choppers and a dedicated on-screen UI tailored for the chases with GPS-based tracking and speed.

If you're lucky you can catch one of the many YouTube live streams. Here's one from....two days ago: https://www.youtube.com/live/uGiJU-FlpdE

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asdff ◴[21 Nov 25 22:54 UTC] No.46010024[source]▶
They get away from time to time from the airship. Two in one week this past august and I don't think they ever caught the suspects. One drove under an overpass and fled on foot, the other entered LAX airspace which requires waiting on clearance from ATC and got away somehow after that. I don't know why they don't just shoot a magnetic dart at the car with a gps tracker on it.
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1. Balgair ◴[22 Nov 25 01:14 UTC] No.46011108[source]▶
Now this assumes that the LAPD/LASD/whomever actually cares to catch the suspect! In my (limited) experience with them, you could incinerate a full bus and they'd not blink an eye, but if you block the intersection at one of the many rush hours, that's a capital offense!