Hovering approximately 750 feet above Washington, D.C., a brand-new, cutting-edge helicopter from the D.C. Police will be part of the airspace monitoring Monday’s inauguration.
What exactly will pilot Jeff Hertel be looking for? Hertel shared, “I’ll be focusing on crowd parameters and crowd control, and keeping an eye out for suspicious vehicles—perhaps large trucks or any vehicles positioned outside the secured perimeter, particularly if there are people with them.”
Hertel highlighted that operating from the air provides law enforcement with a unique advantage: the ability to observe vast distances.
“From the sky, we can spot a car moving quickly, or even detect if someone is on a rooftop at night, checking for possible burglars or whether they may be carrying a weapon,” he explained.
Though the inauguration ceremony for President-elect Donald Trump was relocated to the heavily fortified U.S. Capitol due to anticipated extreme cold, helicopters will still play an essential role.
This is especially important as the inaugural parade has been moved indoors to the Capitol One Arena, which will host about 20,000 people in the heart of D.C.
The D.C. Police will also be monitoring crowds throughout the city, as many of the people who had planned to attend the National Mall are expected to gather in other locations.
Trump Inauguration
Equipped with advanced cameras, the helicopter can capture a vehicle’s license plate from 1,000 feet above, transmitting live footage back to the department’s real-time crime center.
“It allows us to get a comprehensive view of what’s going on around the city, especially in large crowd settings,” D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith told.
Smith further noted that recent events, such as the deadly truck attack in New Orleans that killed 14 people and the bombing of a Tesla Cybertruck outside a Trump hotel in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day, have heightened law enforcement’s vigilance.
“Whenever there’s any form of domestic terrorism, it raises our level of security measures,” Smith said.
When asked what concerns her the most leading up to inauguration day, the police chief responded: “The possibility of lone-wolf attacks or copycat incidents.”
Even with the official inauguration events taking place indoors, D.C. Police remain highly alert for potential violent protests outside the secured zones, recalling the unrest from 2017 when hundreds were arrested during Trump’s first inauguration. Eight years later, Smith assures that there will be an increased police presence throughout the city.
“We welcome people to come and protest, but we will not tolerate any form of violence in our city,” Smith stated.
