Air Patrols make things safer on the ground
Posted Aug 26, 2013 7:28 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Alberta Mounties and Sheriffs are gearing up for a busy Labour Day long weekend.
While most people are planning to get away and take advantage of the last long weekend of summer, law enforcement agencies will be cracking down on those not obeying the rules of the road.
Last Friday over a four-hour period, police issued 35 tickets to drivers in 28 vehicles for various infractions that were spotted from a helicopter patrolling the QEII.
Sheriff Jason Graw, with the Airdrie Integrated Traffic Unit, tells The Calgary Sun the bird’s eye view allows them to monitor traffic over a greater distance, helping them catch drivers who are not only speeding but are tailgating or darting in and out of traffic.
Graw says people often change their driving habits when they spot a patrol car, but when the vehicle is in the air drivers are unaware they’re being watched.
Police are hoping the upcoming long weekend will be fatality-free, which was the case over the recent Heritage Day Holiday; thousands of drivers were still written up.
While signs advising drivers about aircraft patrols in the province have been posted with only one chopper dedicated to the program, only certain sections can be monitored at any given time.
