Crime & Safety

Glendora Police Hope to Minimize Calls of Curiosity

The high number of residents calling to ask about the helicopters in their neighborhoods continue to be a problem for overwhelmed dispatchers.

The buzz of helicopters is nothing new in Glendora. In fact, the Foothill Air Support Team has been making its rounds through Glendora since 2000, providing much-needed support in the capture of suspects and in search and rescue efforts.

But in the 11 years the helicopters have flown through the city, the Glendora Police Department continue to deal with another problem the whirring of low-flying helicopters always seem to bring – a barrage of phone calls from curious residents wanting to know what’s going on.

Although Police Chief Rob Castro understands the reasons for a resident calling into the police department, their two dispatchers often find themselves slammed with 40 to 50 calls of curiosity while also trying to field calls for service and communicate with officers in the field.

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“It certainly becomes overwhelming,” said Castro.

In July 2000, the city entered into a Joint Powers Agreement with the Pasadena Police Air Operations Section, an agreement that also provided service to 9 jurisdictions including Alhambra, Arcadia, Covina, Glendora, Monrovia, Pomona, San Marino, Sierra Madre and South Pasadena.

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The helicopters fly through the 20-square-miles of the city about 3 to 4 times a week, depending on the need.

The FAST helicopter program has been instrumental in air patrol, aerial photography, vehicle pursuit, search and rescue, among many other missions said Castro.

"When all of our officers are searching an area for a suspect it can take up to an hour,” said Castro. “With the FAST team, they can cover the area in 10 minutes.”

According to Castro, the cost for the service is $34,000 a year, a much more economical choice since contracting with L.A. County Sheriff’s helicopter service would cost the city $6 a minute.

“On a big call, that can add up pretty fast,” said Castro.

Officer Mike Randazzo, the officer in charge of the program in Glendora, said FAST answered to 1,6500 calls for service and made 1,045 arrests in the past year. The average response time for calls for service was 1 minute 34 seconds.

Castro said the new online feature on was designed to assist the curious in offering updated information on recent events.

“Unless they hear or see something suspicious, don’t call,” said Castro. “We may not be able to have time and if it’s not a emergency they’ll put you on hold for 5 to 10 minutes. That will stack up and tie up phone lines.”

In recent years, helicopters have added new equipment that allows officers to make general announcements to the public while conducting a search in the area.

"In many cases, officers will make announcements to residents letting them know if there is a suspect on the loose and whether they should stay indoors," said Castro.


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