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Civil Air Patrol Offers Local Support

NCJ Number
245658
Author(s)
Date Published
March 2014
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article from TechBeat magazine details efforts by the Civil Air Patrol on their ability to provide more than just support to law enforcement at the Federal level.
Abstract
As noted by the Director of Operations at Civil Air Patrol (CAP) National Headquarters in Alabama, CAP can provide local law enforcement agencies with aerial assistance at relatively low cost to the agencies. CAP operates in a manner similar to that of the National Guard. The primary mission for CAP is to support the U.S. Air Force which provides funding for CAP’s operations. CAP’s resources however, are allowed to be used by other units within the Department of Defense as well as Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies, performing 90 percent of all inland search and rescue operations in the country. Out of CAP’s 60,000 members, approximately 31,000 are involved in operations. In addition to aircraft, CAP has access to almost 1,000 land vehicles and a nationwide radio network that uses public service grade VHF-FM and HF radios.

Date Published: March 1, 2014