Background Initial development of
police aviation as a tool was rooted in national security concerns stemming from the
United States' entry into World War I. Early 20th century fears of foreign sabotage in the US were compounded by domestic
political violence related to
Anarchist and
Labor movements, plus the 1916
federalization and mobilization of the
National Guard had left many states (and their municipalities) feeling unprepared to handle internal emergencies without organized security forces of their own. In
New York City, this perceived vulnerability was addressed by the 1916 formation of the
Home Defense League under Police Commissioner
Arthur H. Woods. That unit was reorganized in 1918 as the
Reserve Police Force under Special Deputy Commissioner
Rodman Wanamaker, and split into both a reserve component and a training corps. While the Reserve was a general-purpose body, SDC Wanamaker—an early aviation investor and friend of
Glenn Curtiss—envisioned a volunteer aviation squadron within its ranks. External events, like the
Black Tom explosion and specifically the
Morgan Munitions Depot explosion, reinforced the need for such a capability. In the latter, private pilots at nearby
Roosevelt Field were asked by New York City officials to survey the disaster in real-time. Their efforts provided valuable reconnaissance for firefighters on the ground and cemented the NYPD leadership's resolve to launch a professional air wing of its own. One month later, the
Armistice of November 1918 ended the war and brought home thousands of American service members—many of them newly trained airmen who would soon participate in the booming
US aviation industry. While the end of hostilities alleviated some national security concerns, Police leadership still realized that peacetime
regulation would be needed as airplanes became mainstream technology. As Colonel
Jefferson De Mont Thompson—soon to become New York's first chief of aerial police—put it, "If traffic rules and regulations are necessary to keep order where streets and courses are plainly marked, it is doubly important that there be those aloft invested with authority to preserve safety." citing consultant and aviation journalist
Henry Woodhouse: On March 28, 1919, an initial cadre of 26 aerial police officers were sworn in from a pool of over 125 applicants.
Colonel Jefferson De Mont Thompson was appointed Chief, and
Granville A. Pollock its commanding officer. Early visions of the unit's mission and tactics invoked a highly militarized tone; its first airplanes were armed with
machine guns and
tracer ammunition. Newspapers also imagined
dogfights against "sky pirates" or the hunting-down of "river pirates" in the city's waterways, By May 1919, the reserve numbered 150 airmen and 7 Department-owned airplanes, each equipped with
wireless telephones and telegraphs.
Laura Bromwell was the first graduate of this program, becoming the world's first aerial policewoman at 21 years of age. The NYPD Annual Report for 1920 counted the unit's assets as two seaplanes, two landplanes, and three "flying stations" located on the Hudson River, at
Fort Hamilton, and a site which eventually became
Leif Ericson Park in
Brooklyn.
Re-establishment On July 12, 1939,
Mayor Fiorello La Guardia re-established the Aviation Unit at
Floyd Bennett Field under the command of
Arthur W. Wallander. Coinciding with both the
1939 World's Fair and the reopening of
LaGuardia Airport that summer, the department recruited a staff of 6 pilots and 6 mechanics to operate its two new
Stinson Reliants. Early missions of the newly reformed unit included aerial photography, highway
traffic reporting, and regulatory enforcement.
Unit Citation Award The Aviation Unit was awarded a 2023 Unit Citation. The Unit Citation is awarded to a specific unit or precinct for outstanding accomplishments.
Rise in spending Spending on helicopter usage spiked dramatically under Mayor
Eric Adams. == Capabilities ==