Yes. The Sheriff’s Department aviation unit provides Aerial Support to Regional Enforcement Agencies and is commonly known as ASTREA.

ASTREA is based at Gillespie Airport in El Cajon, CA. The San Diego Sheriff’s Department operates a fleet of nine helicopters. Of the nine helicopters, four are MD500 series helicopters and two are Bell 407 helicopters, which are primarily dedicated to law enforcement support. Three helicopters (Bell 205 A1++) are primarily dedicated to fire suppression/search and rescue operations. Staffing consists of one lieutenant, two sergeants, fourteen deputy sheriffs and six mechanics.

ASTREA provides air support 365 days per year/20 hours per day (between the hours of 7:00am to 3:00am) Flight hours can vary depending on type of service calls. Approximately 8 hours per day is the average number of hours a helicopter will be in service.

ASTREA provides air support to all public safety agencies in San Diego County (consisting of about 4,200 square miles). ASTREA responds to radio calls for law enforcement support, fire suppression, and Search and Rescue (SAR) incidents. Additionally, when requested, ASTREA will provide assistance to surrounding counties under State Mutual Aid agreements.

When an ASTREA law enforcement helicopter orbits a location for more than a minute or two during the day or night, ASTREA is assisting deputies or police officers on the ground. Searchlights are not always used at nighttime because helicopters are outfitted with thermal imaging systems that can detect heat in outdoor environments and aid in locating a suspect. Crew members typically utilize night vision goggles to enhance night time vision.

When an incident involves a felony suspect search, the helicopter crew will often conduct PA announcements to notify the community. The same is true for at-risk missing persons, such as a small child or an elderly person.

Not everyone will understand the PA announcements all of the time due to the helicopter’s orbit, altitude, location, and other noise. For this reason, ASTREA crew members are trained to keep announcements short and repeat the announcement frequently. Often, the announcement contains the description of the suspect or missing person.

If you still have questions about the announcement from a Sheriff’s helicopter, call the Sheriff’s Communications Center non-emergency number 858-565-5200. Dispatchers may be able to give you a brief explanation of what law enforcement activity is occurring in your neighborhood or provide the phone number of the jurisdictional agency handling the incident for which ASTREA is providing support.

If you see a person matching the description from the PA announcements, please call 911.

The San Diego Sheriff’s Department does have a presence on Twitter and Nixle®. We do not currently staff our social media presence around the clock, so not every incident involving ASTREA results in a social media alert. Serious incidents encompassing extended law enforcement activity often result in a community alert. Major incidents requiring ASTREA’s assistance (e.g. missing person searches, SWAT standoff with road closures, or wildfire involving evacuations) will often be posted and updated on the above mentioned social media sites.

ASTREA law enforcement helicopters generally fly at a minimum altitude of 500 feet above ground level. This altitude is generally accepted as the minimum altitude needed to make a safe and emergency auto-rotational landing if a mechanical malfunction occurs. At night time, for safety and noise abatement purposes, air crews are trained and encouraged to fly 1000 feet above ground level. For noise abatement purposes, ASTREA Fire/Rescue helicopters (Bell 205) fly at 1000 feet above ground level when transitioning to and from calls.

As members of the aviation community, we recognize aircraft noise is a concern to many residents within the County of San Diego. It is the goal of every ASTREA crew member to minimize aircraft noise to the communities and cities served while simultaneously balancing the region’s aerial law enforcement needs. When supporting law enforcement activities on the ground, ASTREA makes every effort to not orbit an area longer than necessary.

Countless number of helicopters can operate in and around San Diego County including helicopters owned by the military, state and federal law enforcement agencies, other fire/rescue agencies, medevac, corporate, agriculture, student pilots, and power-line helicopters.

You may discuss any concerns you have with an ASTREA supervisor by calling 619-956-4930 during the hours of 8:00am to 5:30pm from Monday to Friday.