Los Angeles police helicopters will not respond to many emergencies near LAX for now, as aviation authorities address safety concerns at one of the nation’s busiest airports, the head of the LAPD’s aviation division announced this week.
In a memo to the entire department on Thursday, LAPD Captain Jonathan Larsen wrote that the Federal Aviation Administration “restricted the operation of Air Support and all normal aircraft” in the areas of the Los Angeles International Airport airspace that includes three divisions of the police – Newton, 77th Street, Southeast, historically in the middle of the busiest city – and the fourth part, the Pacific.
“Air units will be restricted from responding to requests for assistance in affected areas,” wrote Larsen, acting chief of the Air Support Division.
He said that is “effective immediately and until further notice.”
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department declined to answer questions about what effect the restrictions would have on the department’s operations, referring questions to the FAA.
In its statement, the FAA said it would be restricting flights operating under so-called visual flight rules – also known as VFR, where pilots are responsible for observing and avoiding other aircraft and structures, as opposed to relying on instruments. The restrictions are part of a “security review at airports with helicopter and hybrid aircraft,” the agency said.
“While conducting these inspections, air traffic controllers routinely prohibit VFR operators from entering LAX airspace based on the volume and complexity of the traffic they operate, as well as day-to-day conditions in the airspace including weather and any nearby construction,” the statement read.
The LAPD operates one of the largest municipal fleets in the country, which it says plays a vital role in tracking down criminal suspects and navigating the sprawling city.
According to the ministry, helicopters are also deployed in various support areas, including transporting goods and acting as the commander’s eyes in the sky during special events.
The new no-fly zone includes some low-income neighborhoods in the southern part of the city where a 2023 study by the City Controller’s office found the worst number of LAPD helicopters. A highly critical report found that police planes spend less than half of their flight time responding to “high-priority” crimes – the rest being used for patrolling, answering low-level 911 calls, making ceremonial flyovers and cruising around VIPs.
LAPD officials criticized the report as “grossly inaccurate,” and produced their own internal review showing that the time spent by helicopters in certain areas correlated with the number of violent crimes and gun violence there.
The federal review comes after a series of high-profile midair crashes and shutdown calls have renewed a nationwide debate over air safety.
In January, the FAA permanently banned helicopter traffic around Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC, which had been operating under airspace restrictions for months following a crash between a commercial airliner and a military helicopter that killed 67 people.
The chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board last month designated Hollywood Burbank Airport as an air collision hazard. The FAA has considered the airport among the “hot spots” with high volumes of mixed helicopter and jet traffic.
Despite a national debate, the House failed to approve a bill on Tuesday that would have required all airlines to have critical ground recovery systems to prevent crashes like the one in DC.
In Los Angeles, door planes are often an inescapable part of the city’s landscape, immortalized in both rap songs and Hollywood blockbusters. The LAPD began using the first helicopter in 1957 to help monitor traffic on the city’s highway system.
Yet the airships are also a source of frustration and mistrust for many, who see them as an unwelcome intrusion and a reminder of what they see as the LAPD’s appalling terrorism against communities of color.
The new restrictions come amid a rapid expansion of the LAPD’s drone program.
A pilot program that allowed police to send drones to make emergency calls has been expanded citywide, as the department is poised to get a slew of new drones thanks to a $2.1 million donation from the Police Foundation and a federal grant.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
