Mesa PD lands at EVIT

The Mesa Police Department landed a helicopter on EVIT's campus yesterday, near the law enforcement and fire science building.

Here are the law students, watching it land:


It's the first time I've ever seen a helicopter up close, and it was smaller than I would have thought.

The officers talked to students about what it is like to fly the helicopter. They are available to back up patrol officers for a wide spectrum of calls -- everything from a barking dog to a homicide. Their primary role is to support patrol, but they also can serve as a search and rescue unit.

The pilots start out as regular Mesa police officers, and then they can request to begin training to work on the helicopter. They have to go through a couple hundred hours of flight training, as well as refreshment training every 90 days.


The students got to ask questions and check out the inside of the helicopter.