Mission Statement

The mission of the Air Support Unit of the Charlotte County Sheriff's Department is to provide a safe and efficient aerial platform to serve the ground units of the Charlotte County Sheriff's Department and the citizens of Charlotte County.

Responsibilities

The Air Support Unit of the Charlotte County Sheriff's Department offers rotorcraft and fixed wing aerial support to the ground units. The unit conducts aerial patrols, surveillance, and searches. The Air Support Unit also offers support to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Department's Special Operations Units, such as the SWAT Team and the Dive Team.

General Information

The Air Support Unit currently consists of 3 OH58-C helicopters, and 2 UH1-H (Huey) helicopters. The Air Support Unit currently has 3 pilots. There are currently 2 mechanics that are responsible for the maintenance of the 5 department aircraft, along with a UH1-H that belongs to Charlotte County Environmental Services (Mosquito Control). At the present time, the Air Support Unit is searching for a fixed-wing aircraft, that can be acquired through the Military Surplus program.

In 2001 the Air Support Unit flew a total of 452 missions, for a total of 684 hours. The missions were as follows:

Aerial Patrol	82
Search	80
Training	16
Photo	35
Demo/Static Display	18
Mosquito Inspection	22
Mosquito Spray	27
Maintenance	80
Marijuana Eradication	53
Surveillance	22
Observation	17