Local cops prepare to call on National Guard helicopter crew
NEAL P. GOSWAMI, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/25/2009 11:03:10 AM EDT

Saturday, April 25
BENNINGTON â?? The advent of warm weather and sunshine means lush, green mountains and sprouting gardens. It also means marijuana plants are likely to begin appearing across the rural landscape.

Marijuana is "readily available in all areas of Vermont," according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, and "is the drug of choice for illicit drug users" in the state.

For that reason, local police are looking to eradicate outdoor growing operations in the area, with a little help from the Vermont Army National Guard.

A small, Vietnam War-era OH-58 helicopter carrying a three-person crew fluttered into the William H. Morse state airport in Bennington Thursday, with a mission to familiarize Bennington Police officers with its aerial marijuana eradication capabilities. Counterdrug Pilot Valerie Wheeler took officers on short orientation flights in groups of two.

In 2006, more than 5.2 million marijuana plants were seized across the country, up from about 4.2 million in 2005. The Vermont Army National Guard Aviation Unit is charged with helping local and state law enforcement officers in Vermont seize plants. Vermont is one of about 30 states with such units.

"All it takes is a phone call followed by a written request," Wheeler told a small group of Bennington Police Department officers during a pre-flight, classroom tutorial.

The chopper carries a camera and a Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR)
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system that allows the aircraft to conduct reconnaissance and observation missions day and night. Thermal imaging equipment allows the crew to spot marijuana from more than 500 feet in the air, an elevation that must be maintained during drug missions, according to law.

"We really can see what we need to from 500 feet," Wheeler said.

Bennington Police Lt. Paul Doucette, who was one of the officers to take to the air Thursday, said the National Guard Aviation unit can help the department with a number of tasks. The unit is funded through federal money, and is free for local departments to use.

"For us, it's just another tool. It's a support unit for us," he said.

In the past, the department has relied on the Vermont State Police to conduct drug eradication flights, as well as the Bennington County Sheriff's Department. But the Sheriff's Department is no longer as active in drug eradication efforts, Doucette said.

The National Guard unit can more readily help local police, he said.

"If you look at the square mileage in Bennington, there's a lot of places for people to grow dope. In years past we've come across plots of 50, 75 marijuana plants, which could easily be spotted from the air," Doucette said.

The aviation unit's capabilities extend far beyond drug eradication, however. They also excel at search and rescue missions and are able to assist local police during a fugitive search. They can offer air support in many situations, such as serving high risk warrants, according to Doucette.

The Bennington Police Department is seeing more such incidents, and will likely use the National Guard as backup in the future, he said.

"We've arrested several fugitives, we've used our special response team several times. It's good to know, it's good to have this training," Doucette said. "We've never taken full advantage of the Army National Guard Air Support Program. In order to do that you've got to have trained observers to go up with the pilot."

The department learned of the program last year. And after Thursday's training, now has seven officers qualified to fly with the National Guard unit and serve as local observers and oversee missions from the air.

"We plan to use the services of the Army National Guard Aviation Unit," Doucette said. "There's a lot of good things that could potentially come out of this."
Galaxy Reviewed by Galaxy on . VT - Local cops prepare to call on National Guard helicopter crew Local cops prepare to call on National Guard helicopter crew NEAL P. GOSWAMI, Staff Writer Posted: 04/25/2009 11:03:10 AM EDT Saturday, April 25 BENNINGTON â?? The advent of warm weather and sunshine means lush, green mountains and sprouting gardens. It also means marijuana plants are likely to begin appearing across the rural landscape. Marijuana is "readily available in all areas of Vermont," according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, and "is the drug of choice for illicit drug Rating: 5