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PoopIsAlwaysSunny t1_je3hd1u wrote

Because that’s what we need: a bigger police helicopter for them to yell at children to leave a pool.

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philaiv t1_je3kor8 wrote

Replying to PoopIsAlwaysSunny (#2,438,013)

People seem to often bring this up as an example of a dumb use of the helicopters but last summer a child trespassing in the Patterson Park pool nearly drown. Because of this we should probably find a better example as to why the helicopters are wasteful spending as the city/police will no doubt use child safety for their position which is hard to argue against.

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philaiv t1_je3pjpi wrote

Replying to DfcukinLite (#2,439,087)

Yes but we don't know why it's bigger. We only know that OP has identified that it's bigger. Because of that I was only commenting on how helicopters are being used to yell at children is a commonly used phrase in this subrreddit, not anything about the helicopter being bigger. I apologize that my original comment wasn't more clear.

Edit: There is no need to vote u/MrBurittoThePizza's comment down. This does read like it was written by an AI lol

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philaiv t1_je3tp6q wrote

Replying to MrBurittoThePizza (#2,439,714)

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S-Kunst t1_je481l1 wrote

I don't accept that choppers flying fast from down town to Charles Village at night (back & forth), CAN be productive. Its just like the guys on motorcycles making noise and getting attention.

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AmbitionOfPhilipJFry t1_je4mf51 wrote

Replying to S-Kunst (#2,442,075)

Wtf, you're saying having under 15 seconds for live overhead observation for any crime in the city at any time 365/7 isn't productive?

The police are productive. It's the DAs and judges with their plea before judgment parole that detooth consequences. That and legislatures trying to allow blocks of criminals to operate at will: no pursuit of dirt bike policy means anything that can be carried in a backpack can go anywhere with impunity. They're trying to get rid of murder charges for people under 25. What age group demographic do you think commits the most murders? It's insanity.

3

rooranger t1_je4rsns wrote

I need to find the purchase, maintenance and annual operation cost of this. I wonder if that money would be better spent on officers on the ground in neighborhood patrols, rather than the daily noise of helicopters circling over my peaceful town making it sound and feel like a crime ridden war zone. FT_ will do little or nothing to curb the gun violence in Baltimore.

−9

philaiv t1_je4t83s wrote

Replying to Honeyblade (#2,444,779)

Obviously that's not the only use for the helicopters. Just a very small fragment of its use (despite so many people in this sub going straight to that as the reason for it being wasteful spending). As OP pointed out in another comment, they're at least used to follow stolen vehicles which are often the result a car jacking.

Also, 5 lifeguards wouldn't work. We would need 24/7 lifeguards because children trespass at all hours.

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philaiv t1_je4ui4m wrote

Replying to Douseigh (#2,443,846)

It's good to hear that they're being used for crime. I personally don't know if they're worth it or not. I suspect they are since they're used by cities our size and larger around the world. Maybe not a great use for stolen vehicles but for car jackings definitely which is what I assume the majority of those were. My reply was because I find that the yelling at kids in pools argument so many make to be not a good argument and does their position on the matter a disservice.

1

Baltimore_Bill t1_je4uz6u wrote

Yeah. Its been flying for about a month now. The thing is a pain in the ass to fuel.

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YoYoMoMa t1_je4xg3z wrote

Replying to S-Kunst (#2,442,075)

It makes cops feel powerful and the people feel like they are being watched from on high though.

I have no idea how effective or efficient heli cops are, but "because the cops said it is" is about the last reason I will ever believe because I am not Charlie Brown with a football like so many people seem to be.

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Baltimore_Bill t1_je4y3q7 wrote

Replying to BmoreBr0 (#2,446,549)

It has a fuel strainer in the fueling point that has such little holes that if you dont trickle it in it burps out and makes a horrible mess. Then you smell like jet fuel and the cops come over and yell at us because for some reason they put some expensive sensor directly under it that the fuel can damage.

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Matt3989 t1_je4yjx6 wrote

Replying to DfcukinLite (#2,439,087)

The Foxtrots were too old for the FAA to allow them to fly anymore. One had been ground permanently already, which is a big deal here considering that Baltimore Police have had already one fatal helicopter crash.

IIRC these have lower maintenance costs and longer maintenance intervals (which is why they bought 3 instead of the 4 foxtrots).

6

Honeyblade t1_je510r9 wrote

Replying to rockybalBOHa (#2,446,993)

For what we spend on that helicopter we could train new ones and give them a decent salary. This is just a stupid use of resources - and rather than creating more resources for the community it's focused on punishing people, which is an objectively dumb way too deal with most societal problems that could be solved by creating more resources.

0

MbenedictR t1_je53baz wrote

Replying to Honeyblade (#2,447,441)

seriously, make the academy class the lifeguards for a summer on rotating shifts. they spend time in the community and get to know ppl, and pools always safe because there is a cop on duty.

5

guest0112 t1_je56k6o wrote

Replying to keyjan (#2,448,158)

Makes me think of when I was 21 and buying plastic handles of vodka and people used to say “remove the fun stopper first!!” Referring to that little plastic piece on the nozzle

3

RG_Viza t1_je5eydw wrote

Replying to YoYoMoMa (#2,446,677)

One use of them is avoiding high speed vehicle chases through the city and preventing the inevitable resulting deaths from high speed chases. Tracking them from a helicopter and getting perpetrators when they stop the car and get out is safer. They can be bank robbers, shooters, whatever. They don’t just chase swimmers out of pools.

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YoYoMoMa t1_je5fekm wrote

Replying to RG_Viza (#2,450,285)

I get that they have uses, but it is not a zero sum game. How many high speed chases do we have here? What are the stats about how cars drive when being chased by cops vs helis? Is establishing perimeters and road blocks safer? How much do alternatives cost vs a heli?

−4

RG_Viza t1_je5fqge wrote

Replying to YoYoMoMa (#2,450,375)

I guy I went to high school with, Matt Hershel, died as a result of a high speed chase in Baltimore. He was walking on a sidewalk. They used to happen almost daily.

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Nintendoholic t1_je5oric wrote

Sick, now they can ruin my concentration twice as well

−2

DONNIENARC0 t1_je5u1j4 wrote

Replying to philaiv (#2,446,081)

Yeah...

If we're gassing up the chopper for the sole purpose of telling kids to get out of closed pools... sure, that's pretty messed up and sounds horribly wasteful. I'd bet it's more of a side task that they swing by to accomplish after completing their main goal though.

5

EthanSayfo t1_je6z2sm wrote

Replying to YoYoMoMa (#2,446,586)

So that one occurrence is all the police have used helicopters for, for what, a few decades now? Ever?

Wow, they must have a lot of fun just flying around doing nothing 99.9999999999999999% of the time!

2

EthanSayfo t1_je6zitz wrote

Because almost all flights broadcast ADS-B at this point (other than some military flights), if you want to be a geek and track the Baltimore police helicopters or any other flight, I recommend checking out an app like Flightradar24.

Kind of fun, although I am one of those kinds of geeks.

3

BOS2BWI t1_je75slu wrote

Does it still sound like a model airplane?

1

S-Kunst t1_je798uv wrote

Replying to RG_Viza (#2,450,285)

I accept that can be the case when they are moving slowly and during the day. When it is at night and they take only a couple minutes to do a round trip, No they cannot see anything on the ground.

I also add that nearly every week day (4:30-5pm) I sit in my tiny back yard, and at least one, generally more copters fly east to west or west to east. Taking about 20 seconds each time. From what I can see from the ground, they are not News Helicopters.

−1

DeliMcPickles t1_je7buxd wrote

Baltimore uses their helicopters better than most cities I've lived in.

1