July 2006 Cover Story:
Houston Police Helicopter Division

Story and photographs by Viet Doan

Dark skies loom over Hobby Airport in Southeast Houston. Heavy rain falls as a light breeze escalates into strong gusts. My ride-along with the Houston Police Department Helicopter Division, scheduled for 1 p.m., in one of their Hughes 500Ds, seems unlikely.

While I spend some time getting to know the officers of the Division, the rain comes to a halt. Officer George Rodriguez taxis one of HPD’s three Schweizer 300s, the oldest of which dates back to 1976, onto one of the helipads in front of the hangar. A 15-year veteran of the police force, Rodriguez has been training to become a pilot in the Helicopter Patrol Division for the last two and a half years. At last he’s ready to show his proud family what he’s learned. Houston is the only police department in the nation that still trains in the piston-driven S300s, but Rodriguez doesn’t seem to mind. His father, mother and brother are in attendance and eager to see what he’s capable of. After a slightly less than graceful take-off due to strong winds blowing across the ramp in front of the police hangar, he performs a few low-level hovering maneuvers that dazzle his family. Rodriguez’s father and brother, both Houston police officers, are thrilled at the sight of one of their own perpetuating the family tradition of police work while doing what he loves — flying.

Rodriguez is notified of a returning police helicopter flight by the tower and quickly ceases his exercise, landing in order to avoid any potential conflict between the two police helicopters. A Schweizer 333, called “The Catfish” by some squadron members for its resemblance to the peculiar-looking fish, touches down from an earlier patrol as it, too, battles the blustery gusts. “The Catfish” is a turbine-powered version of the S300. Now all three types of helicopters in HPD’s fleet are on display on adjacent helipads.

The pilot and observer of the “Triple 3”, one of two in HPD’s hangar, go through cool-down procedures. They deplane and immediately complain about the gusty winds to the about-to-depart 500D crew — another factor in whether or not we will take off. Houston’s weather — being unpredictable and irregular as, well, Houston’s weather — begins to clear and winds begin to diminish, revealing a gorgeous day. Our pilot, Officer Larry Savat, makes the decision to go and begins the pre-flight of the Hughes, along with mission observer Sergeant Robin Nassif.

Arguably HPD’s most potent aerial weapon, the agile 500D can be airborne within five minutes of a call. Would-be criminals beware: running is futile once a mission has been dispatched. Nothing ruins a fugitive’s picnic like an HPD 500D. “It’s the sports car of helicopters,” said Savat as he inspects the five-bladed 500D before flight. “It’s the best fit for what we do.”

Savat is a 32-year veteran of HPD, 25 years of which have been in the Helicopter Patrol Division based at Hobby Airport (HOU). He is one of the most veteran pilots in the division, which was established in 1970. He monitors the gauges of the helicopter, “72Fox”, with keen concentration, explaining that if the instrument readings are abnormal in the critical first minute, even by the slightest amount, he will abort the take-off. (The high temperature today, and the fact that there are three aboard the helicopter, leaves no margin for diminished performance.) Savat then instructs the crew, and I sense in particular me, to notify him immediately of even the slightest feeling of motion sickness during flight — he’d rather land than clean up. “There are even times with the regular crew when we have to set (the aircraft) down for a bit,” revealed Savat. “Sometimes we haven’t had anything to eat and the Houston heat in the summer is a big factor.”

Sergeant Robin Nassif is the observer for the flight. She recently earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration from Northwestern State. An avid runner, she also enjoys volunteering as a troop leader for a local Girl Scouts group and coordinating the department’s public appearances two to three times a month at churches, schools and festivals. She has moved quickly up the ranks of this elite group and is currently a supervising officer. She is the only female in the male-dominated division and one of only a select few women to have trained in the unit. Having endured the initial 30-day trial period, and completed a year and a half of observer training, she will begin her pilot training in approximately seven months — the standard training protocol for all prospective pilots in the division, which prides itself on recruiting and training all of its pilots “in-house”. Pilot and observer candidates must have at least five years of police experience with the department before they can be considered for a training slot.

“I just love flying,” admits Nassif, who worked in patrol and internal affairs before joining the program. “I’ve always had an interest in this division and openings don’t come that often. I love aviation and I think what we do is integral to the police department.” Armed with a holstered sidearm, a Houston street map and two incoherently squawking on-board police radios, Nassif will be the eyes and ears for the ground units below on this mission. “We all fly with a sidearm,” explains Savat. “It’s policy. If and when you put (the aircraft) down, you’re still a police officer. If another officer’s life is at risk, the observer will assist.”

Although the 500D is equipped with Forward Looking InfraRed (FLIR), night vision goggles, Lo-Jack vehicle tracking and a searchlight, for this daytime patrol Nassif will primarily rely on her eyesight and 21 years of police experience. This will be her second patrol of the day and one of 10 to 12 patrols scheduled during the 24-hour period. There is almost never a time when an HPD chopper isn’t in the air over Houston.

The Hughes is ready; Officers Savat and Nassif are ready as well. 72Fox receives take-off clearance from Hobby’s tower and begins to climb away from the police ramp at precisely 1 p.m. Nassif scans the police radios, checking for ground units in need. She takes time to explain the doors on the helicopter — or lack thereof. “It’s our air conditioning,” The oppressive Houston summer heat is somewhat alleviated by the constant blast of cooling air from the main rotor. However, hearing anything through the intercom requires ear plugs underneath a headset to help block the intense noise from the Hughes’ rotor blades and turbine engine.

There are eight dispatch channels, each covering a distinct area within Houston’s expansive 700-plus square miles, plus a “Number 1” channel used
for “hot” calls and crimes in progress. The first call for the flight is an assault in progress on Houston's northeast side. 72Fox arrives on the scene in mere minutes, and then circles, aggressively banking to the right. We loiter for a few minutes as we confer with ground units, and find nothing. We depart toward downtown Houston, as we await another call.

When the crew is not directly involved with a call, side duties include a horde of tasks for the federal Homeland Security department, designed to prevent potential terrorist threats, including the monitoring of the city’s 50-plus water supply tanks, the Houston Ship Channel’s many port facilities, high-profile buildings, and bayous.

There are daily freeway traffic patrols by the division during both morning and evening rush hour. Scouting heavily wooded areas for stolen vehicles and missing persons, which are difficult to spot from the ground, are not uncommon. Helicopter Patrol also operates a Cessna 182 for investigations requiring special surveillance and reconnaissance needs.

Another request for 72Fox’s support screeches over our headsets in undecipherable police jargon. A calm aerial patrol of the city is interrupted by a dash to the Museum District by the 500D. A mentally-challenged woman has gone missing and we’re going to help ground units look for her. Ground units list the missing woman’s description as red, frizzy hair with black T-shirt and blue jeans. Nassif acknowledges the description and assists Savat in navigating the quickest course to the search zone. The missing woman was last seen leaving a hospital in the Houston Medical Center three hours ago. After orbiting above the Medical Center, looking for the missing patient for more than 10 minutes, the search is called off. 72Fox is in the way of several Life Flight helicopters on the way into hospitals in the Medical Center. Ground units in the area will continue to search for the missing woman. We’ve been in the air for more than two hours. Savat and Nassif’s 500D has depleted half of its fuel supply and it’s time to return to base. 72Fox gracefully blends with Hobby’s Class B traffic and descends onto its designated helipad in front of the police hangar.

Nassif declares, “That was the quietest flight I’ve had all week.” Savat adds, “We like chases where no one gets hurt and the bad guys get caught,” as he kicks back in the comforts of the lounge area. He’s affable and mild-mannered as he downplays a recent high-profile chase involving a shootout with police on Interstate 45. “We could see the gun shots going through the windshield,” divulges Savat of the recent chase. “You name it, we’ve worked it some way or another — traffic monitoring, patrolling the skies during 9/11. Heck, the chief of police rode around with us after Hurricane Rita.” Rodriguez, Savat and Nassif submit all their essential paperwork, clock out and call it a day. The night shift begins to arrive.

Night shift Officer Jim Lowery’s face is glued to the weather monitor. Blobs of ominous red litter the screen and pepper the Houston metropolitan area. He’ll plan his night patrol mission with observer Officer Frank Dolen to avoid any weather woes. A pilot for HPD since 1990, Lowery is unassuming in his demeanor and stature, but his stern handshake speaks volumes. One of the more senior pilots in the outfit, Lowery is 55, while the average age of officers in the division is mid-40s. He is the quintessential ”strong but silent” type with a humble outlook on his career, eagerly awaiting the retired life around the corner — a life sans cops-and-robbers with more time for his bluegrass band in which he plucks the upright bass.

Both Lowery and Dolen are slated for the night shift from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. Their flight is on standby and is scheduled to take off in 30 minutes. It’ll be the first of two, possibly three flights for the both of them tonight. “Nothing nuts,” admonishes Lowery jokingly. “I got a pension to think about.” His police career began in 1980, when he started a 10-year stretch as a patrolman before joining the Helicopter Patrol Division. His experience in the patrol division has been invaluable. “We love guys like (Lowery) who come from a patrol background and who are accustomed to the streets, the lingo,” said Sergeant Larry Hromadka, the supervising officer for the evening. “We trained together, so I’ll certainly miss him. It’s definitely a lot easier to train police officers to be pilots than to train pilots to be police officers.”

“Women flash me all the time,” chuckles Hromadka. “One time I saw I guy light himself on fire, and then run toward the (officers) below. I’m surprised they didn’t take him down.” Prior to Lowery and Dolen’s departure, Hromadka urges, “You better be on top of your game at night. Visibility is (expletive) tonight.”

When Lowery and Dolen return from their two-hour flight they report a quiet patrol. Aside from a man trying to run over another man with his Chevy Blazer on the southwest side, the only thing ”hot” they report was an apartment fire in the same complex where they spotted a fire earlier in the week. “Chases are what we live for,” confesses Lowery. “It just depends…on any given night it can be feast or famine.”

In his office across the hall, shift supervisor Sergeant Hromadka can’t help but be concerned by the evening’s roster of only three pilots and three observers for a weekend night that is usually full of activity. Hromadka is troubled by the lack of sufficient personnel and equipment. “There’s such a high demand for (helicopter patrol) here, yet we’re so understaffed,” said Hromadka.

Hromadka and staff take some solace knowing that soon they’ll be adding a brand new 500D to their lineup, thanks in part to a grant by Homeland Security. They will take delivery of the new aircraft at next month’s Airborne Law Enforcement Association (ALEA) meeting in New Orleans. Everyone agrees that new equipment is needed; the 500Ds in the HPD helicopter division each have an average of over seventeen and a half thousand hours.

The pilots and observers of the HPD Helicopter Division are, first and foremost, police officers. From the very beginning in 1970, the Division has insisted that it is better and more effective to teach seasoned police officers to be helicopter pilots. All of the pilots and observers in the Division are law enforcement professionals first and aviation professionals second. They know that they are invaluable to the law enforcement effort in the Houston area. They know that they save lives, and that they find evil-doers when ground officers cannot.

One officer confided, “You have to jump through so many hoops to get what you need. We use to be the largest fleet in the country with seven (turbine helicopters) at one time. Heck, our guys have to buy their own Nomex, fire-retardant uniforms.” Everyone in the Division is keenly aware of the competition for funding between various divisions of the Houston Police Department, as well as between the several departments of city government. They get frustrated by funding problems, by department politics and by city politics. They need more helicopters, newer helicopters, more pilots, more observers, better equipment, and better training.

Houston Police Department Helicopter Patrol Division’s pilots and observers remain down-to-earth in their motivation to make Houston a better place to live. They remain on the job, ready to rush across one of the largest cities in the country, day or night, to assist their fellow officers, to search for lost children and to continue a tradition of effective, cost-efficient and safe law enforcement and public service. They know that they have already done a lot. They also know that with improvements in funding they could do even more.