The Oakland Police Department is altering operations for its air support unit following the federal indictment of two of its pilots, who are charged with conspiracy and fraud in connection with the department’s helicopter unit.
The unit, known as Argus, helps catch criminals and patrol from the air. Because two pilots are on leave after being accused of conspiring with a Federal Aviation Administration official to fraudulently obtain their pilot certifications, the unit is temporarily limiting its time in the sky from seven days down to four.
“It is an essential tool that we do have, and we know how important it is to make sure we have the proper coverage,” said Oakland PD Capt. Eriberto Perez-Angeles, special operations division captain.
The unit previously had five pilots assigned and now it’s down to three. To make up for the staffing impacts, OPD plans to rely on the California Highway Patrol, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department and the East Bay Regional Park District Police Department to help cover aerial operations.
“We rely a lot on them to help us out to run certain operations,” Perez-Angeles said. “As for us, the community will not be impacted. We are going to continue our calls for service; that’s not going to stop us from serving the community.”
Two officers are currently training to become the next pilots in the unit, though they still need at least six months of additional training to obtain the proper certificates to fly.
City Councilmember and Public Safety Committee Chair Charlene Wang felt additional oversight of the unit may also be needed.
“We have a lot of use cases in which helicopter-based investigations are needed, including when we want to avoid a chase, for example,” Wang said. “At the same time, we have to hold people accountable.”
Wang added, “This is really unfortunate, but also we need adequate oversight, and we cannot have continued issues with fraud out of this police department. We will do everything to make sure that in the meantime there are not safety impacts to the Oakland community.”
OPD notes that the unit is required to complete annual training and is currently in the middle of its normally scheduled audits, which include checking certifications.
The department emphasizes that it remains committed to maintaining service through patrol and other resources.
“The main function of Argus is a support unit; our core is patrol, and our primary duty as police officers is to respond to calls for service and critical instances,” Perez-Angeles said. “Argus is one of the many tools that we use.”