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Why no Cannons on Police Helicopters?



 
 
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  #11  
Old April 18th 04, 05:47 PM
robert arndt
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"Don Harstad" wrote in message ...
"Mutts" wrote in message
...

Wouldnt a cannon on a police helicopter solve a lot of
problems for law enforcement?

Is it possible to put a round right through the engine block
of a suspect fleeing and stop them from killing innocents?
Seems like that kind of accuracy is possible now isnt it?

When those guys were robbing the bank in LA, seems like
it would have been an easy shot to make from a helicopter
even without a cannon.

Whats up? public outcry or something?


What's up? Common sense. You can't have a helo gunship blasting the
Interstate or side streets, downtown, etc... with innocent people
standing around or driving. Even the smallest fragments from cannon
fire could kill somebody nearby in a car, sidewalk, looking out a
store window, etc...
Seems like you've been watching "Blue Thunder" too much!

Rob

p.s. However, hypothetically, it WOULD be interesting to see a Police
version of an AC-130 tackle a Los Angeles riot!
  #14  
Old April 18th 04, 07:38 PM
Marc Reeve
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Don Harstad wrote:
"Mutts" wrote in message
...

Wouldnt a cannon on a police helicopter solve a lot of
problems for law enforcement?

Is it possible to put a round right through the engine block
of a suspect fleeing and stop them from killing innocents?
Seems like that kind of accuracy is possible now isnt it?

When those guys were robbing the bank in LA, seems like
it would have been an easy shot to make from a helicopter
even without a cannon.

Whats up? public outcry or something?


Discharging a firearm toward another is considered deadly force. The use
of deadly force is very restricted, and understandably so. Simple traffic
violations have never been considered to justify the use of deadly force.

Reminds me of a T-Shirt that used to be popular at airshows, though I
haven't seen it in several years (darn it, mine is wearing out.)

Cartoon of a stretch of desert highway with the standard "Speed checked
by aircraft" sign, with an F-4 with CHP markings and a full bomb load
flying above.

Then there was the T-38 with LAPD markings that appeared in the film
"Dragnet" (the Dan Aykroyd/Tom Hanks version)...

[snip]

-Marc
--
Marc Reeve
actual email address after removal of 4s & spaces is
c4m4r4a4m4a4n a4t c4r4u4z4i4o d4o4t c4o4m
  #15  
Old April 18th 04, 07:57 PM
Nemo l'Ancien
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Let's thezm use Apache, and everything will be clear...
  #16  
Old April 18th 04, 09:19 PM
Paul F Austin
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"Jim Yanik" wrote in message
.. .
"Paul F Austin" wrote in
news

"Ragnar" wrote

"Mutts" wrote ...

Wouldnt a cannon on a police helicopter solve a lot of
problems for law enforcement?

Excellent question! I've always thought they should put at least an
M-60

on
the police choppers. Would put a stop to the car chases real quick.


That sounds about right. If the police are going to use armed helos,
they need sufficient firepower. I would want at_least_an M60 turret
welded on the bottom of each one. Maybe an M1 turret would be better.
Or two. Can't have enough firepower.



Are you suggesting an AC-130 gunship??? 8-)


No, I'm suggesting that armed police helos should be "armed" to the point
that they can't get wheels up. I don't trust police with automatic weapons
much less anything heavier.


  #17  
Old April 18th 04, 09:34 PM
Don Harstad
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"Marc Reeve" wrote in message
. ..
Don Harstad wrote:

Then there was the T-38 with LAPD markings that appeared in the film
"Dragnet" (the Dan Aykroyd/Tom Hanks version)...

[snip]

-Marc

Yeah! I saw that... great bit. We received a model M-60 tank that was
painted in our Sheriff's markings... Looked good.

Don H.


  #18  
Old April 18th 04, 10:47 PM
Thomas Schoene
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Jim Yanik wrote:
"Ragnar" wrote in
:


Excellent question! I've always thought they should put at least an
M-60 on the police choppers. Would put a stop to the car chases real
quick.

Or they could use a Barrett light 50 M82A1 .50BMG rifle.
If they can't get a car with 10 rounds....


The US Coast Guard--which occupies a grey zone between law enforcement and
military--has begun arming some helicopters to stop fleeing high-speed
boats. Their approach has been to use a machinegun for warning shots,
followed by a hand-held .50-cal rifle to shoot to disable the engines.

However, this does not translate well to regular police use. The USCG is
dealing with isolated targets on the high seas, with no chance of stray
shots hitting civilians. The rules for stopping smugglers at sea are also
less restrictive than the use of force rules for domestic police forces.
This is one area where the Coasties benefit from their semi-military status.

For comparison, civilian law enforcement offficers are usually *forbidden*
to fire warning shots because of the risk to bystanders. They are also
forbidden to use lethal force unless necessary to protect themselves or a
bystander. "He was getting away" is generally not sufficient justification
for shooting at someone, unless you have reason to believe he's going to
threaten another person once he's out of sight.

--
Tom Schoene Replace "invalid" with "net" to e-mail
"Our country, right or wrong. When right, to be kept right, when
wrong to be put right." - Senator Carl Schurz, 1872




  #19  
Old April 18th 04, 10:48 PM
Simon Robbins
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"robert arndt" wrote in message
om...
What's up? Common sense. You can't have a helo gunship blasting the
Interstate or side streets, downtown, etc... with innocent people
standing around or driving. Even the smallest fragments from cannon
fire could kill somebody nearby in a car, sidewalk, looking out a
store window, etc...


Yeah, unless your a civilian in Iraq!

Si


  #20  
Old April 18th 04, 10:49 PM
Charles Gray
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On Sun, 18 Apr 2004 03:35:55 -0500, "Don Harstad"
wrote:


"Mutts" wrote in message
.. .

Wouldnt a cannon on a police helicopter solve a lot of
problems for law enforcement?

Is it possible to put a round right through the engine block
of a suspect fleeing and stop them from killing innocents?
Seems like that kind of accuracy is possible now isnt it?

When those guys were robbing the bank in LA, seems like
it would have been an easy shot to make from a helicopter
even without a cannon.

Whats up? public outcry or something?


Discharging a firearm toward another is considered deadly force. The use of
deadly force is very restricted, and understandably so. Simple traffic
violations have never been considered to justify the use of deadly force.

Regarding the bank robbery, the use of deadly force from a helicopter might
have been justified, but the circumstances might not have been conducive to
its use. Too great a chance of injuring a bystander, for example. I
certainly don't have enough knowledge of that particular event, but I have a
feeling that just about every alternative was being considered.

The use of a cannon by police would be entirely too risky.

On the other hand, there were times when I would have welcomed a chance to
call in an air strike. grin

Don H.

Also imagine how much this would *cost*-- not just the helicopter,
but the training, which I imagine would be rather intense . All
this for a system that would almost never be used, and would provide a
continual drain on the police force.
At least in California, there is already some law being pushed to
drastically limit the rights of officers to initiate high speed
chases, so you can see the likelyhood of them getting permission to
blow up a fleeing car.

If you wanted a more realistic and doable idea, I would suggest
passing some form of law that would expidite the ability of the police
to request military help in a situation where they're outgunned. If
it's bad enough that you need a helicopter gunship, you'd be better
off calling for people who practice all the time in using htem.

 




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