One Of BPD's Most Vital Assets Has An Eye From The Sky During Emergencies
BALTIMORE (WJZ)-- The Baltimore Police Department's "Foxtrot" plays a vital role in the fight against crime across the city.
When the city's most dangerous criminals run from the law, police tap the tool you often hear buzzing above Baltimore.
The Baltimore police helicopter tracked a wanted man from above Sunday night from five hundred in the air.
RELATED: Man Killed In Officer-Involved Shooting In Northwest Baltimore
Officers patrol the air 16 hours a day. Sometimes it's tracking a car chase, sometimes it's helping find a missing child. Both are fairly common for the officers who staff the helicopter.
"Whether it's the suspect shooting, or the police shooting, it's the thing you go, oh my goodness, it's real," said flight officer Floyd Werner of Baltimore police.
Officer Werner has been flying Foxtrot over crime scenes for 16 years and he doesn't work alone.
His sometimes teammate, tactical flight officer Andre Smith, is the connection between ground and air.
"Try to keep that target, whatever that target may be, keep it in sight and guide the ground officers in as quickly and safely as possible," officer Smith said.
That's what Foxtrot did back in December, as police closed in on an active shooter, who raced down Reisterstown Road while targeting random victims from his car.
RELATED: Bystander Describes 'Frightening Moment' Of Being Shot By Suspect Involved In Police Pursuit
A lot of the time, the officers say, they fly in teams of three and that helps with recording video.
Police work with four helicopters to make sure they can be in the air at any given time.
Follow @CBSBaltimore on Twitter and like WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore on Facebook
