This month, we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Metro Air Support Unit!
It has been 20 years since the Metro Air Support Unit formed, which now consists of five police helicopters serving St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County. Their mission is to provide quality air support for citizens and law enforcement.
Metro Air Support is a multijurisdictional unit consisting of St. Louis County Police, St. Louis Metropolitan Police, and St. Charles County Police. Metro Air Support’s chain of command consists of a St. Louis County police captain, a St. Louis County police sergeant, and a St. Louis Metropolitan police sergeant. The flight crews are mixed and consist of four St. Louis County police officers, four St. Louis Metropolitan police officers, two St. Charles County police officers, and two full time mechanics hired by St. Louis County.
Metro Air Support flies four times a day in addition to calls for service unless extreme weather prevents it. In 2023 alone, the unit racked up nearly 1,000 flights totaling over 1,800 flight hours, and helped recover more than $3 million in property, including stolen vehicles and firearms.
Pilots fly the skies day or night, equipped with night vision goggles and infrared cameras. The choppers also have real-time augmented reality mapping and mission management software, which overlays addresses and road names onto their live camera feed so they can call out precise locations to officers on the ground.
To help the Department of Homeland Security, Metro Air Support also patrols potential terrorism targets such as bridges, power plants, defense contractors and stadiums.
The Unit conducts all training internally. During the first year, all members receive training as tactical flight officers, learning how to operate the helicopter’s equipment. Once that training is complete, the officers are evaluated for pilot training. Two certified flight instructors, one with St. Louis County and one with St. Charles County, conduct initial training, quarterly training, and additional rating training. These instructors ensure that quarterly training includes emergency procedures, navigation, and flying in low visibility weather. The unit currently has one pilot rated Sergeant, eight pilot rated officers, and two newly assigned officers that will begin pilot training this fall. One flight instructor is scheduled to finish an Instrument Instructor rating later this year.
