TPD Special Operations Team Uses Helicopters To Perform Rescue Training

Nearly 30 Tulsa Police Officers conducted specialized training with a team of medical staff and pilots Wednesday.

They loaded up four special operations team officers on the outside of each helicopter and flew through Downtown Tulsa to unload officers on top of a parking garage.

Captain Mike Eckert with TPD said the training ensures officers understand safety protocols on and off the helicopter and prepares them for rescue situations.

“We saw it in Oklahoma City a couple weeks ago where the Oklahoma County Deputy was shot and killed," Eckert said. “The Oklahoma City Air Unit actually landed in the street right in front of the house and we’ve had the capability of doing that for a long time.”

Eckert said this training isn't something they have conducted frequently in the past. However, that changed when Oklahoma County Sgt. Bobby Swartz was killed in the line of duty last month.

"We want to train for every possible possibility. So, that's what we're doing today. It's worth our time to come out here and train for a day and be comfortable working around those aircraft and working around the pilots and them being comfortable working around us,” Eckert said.

It's important training for the pilots as well. Eckert said the pilot must adjust for added weight of gear and personnel, which causes the aircraft to handle differently. It all matters when every second is crucial during a response.

"This is something that not every agency has the ability to do, because they don't have a multi-million-dollar helicopter, two of them parked in a hangar easily accessible and allowable for us to use,” Eckert said.

TPD will conduct another round of helicopter training in two weeks.