When most people think of Las Vegas, they picture dazzling neon lights, high-stakes casinos, and a bustling cityscape. Yet just beyond the urban glow lies a different world — jagged red canyons, blistering desert trails, and vast waters where danger often finds the unprepared.
For the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) Air Support Unit, that contrast is the heart of their mission. The unit is responsible for covering more than 8,000 square miles (20,720 square kilometers) of Clark County, serving a resident population of nearly three million people.
But the numbers that truly define their work are much larger: the 40 to 50 million visitors who descend on Las Vegas each year, transforming the city into a bustling tourism hub. From dazzling events on the Strip to hiking trails in Red Rock Canyon, the influx of out-of-town guests brings not only excitement but significant public safety demands.
When adventure turns into emergency
Tourism fuels the Las Vegas economy, but it also drives a steady stream of emergencies. Visitors don’t just stick to the casinos; they flock to the rugged landscapes around the region — climbing at Red Rock Canyon, hiking into Valley of Fire State Park, skiing or trekking at Mount Charleston, or boating on Lake Mead. These environments are not only geographically vast but also physically demanding. When something goes wrong, it’s often the Air Support Unit that responds.
“A lot of people think they’re prepared,” said LVMPD chief pilot Ryan Petersen. “But they’ll hike into Valley of Fire with half a bottle of water in 115-degree heat. It doesn’t take long for that to turn into a medical emergency.”
Petersen, a Las Vegas native and Metro veteran since 2007, has led the Air Support Unit since 2022. He explained that while the unit exists primarily to support police operations and rescue missions, the scale and nature of their work are deeply influenced by the city’s tourism.
In 2024, the Air Support Unit carried out 91 search-and-rescue (SAR) operations, many involving visitors unfamiliar with desert terrain. Petersen estimates that roughly 20 to 30 percent of Red Rock rescues are tourists, though the figure varies by activity. Climbers tend to be from out of town, while hikers and mountain bikers include more locals.
Every mission is a battle against time. In the desert, heat can push victims toward dehydration and heat stroke within minutes. A fall on a sheer rock face demands rapid response before darkness descends. A boating mishap on Lake Mead can quickly shift from rescue to recovery. And with tourists representing an ever-growing share of victims, each record year for visitation brings an equally record demand for SAR operations.
Specialized capabilities for tourist-centric emergencies
Meeting that demand requires more than just determination. It requires the right aircraft, flown and maintained by a small but highly skilled team. The Air Support Unit operates a fleet that includes three MD 530Fs (designated Air 2, 3, and 5), one Airbus H145 (Air 1), and one Airbus H125 (Air 4).
Delivered in 2016, the H145 is the unit’s only hoist-capable aircraft, playing a
central role in the its SAR capabilities.
It was specifically chosen for its ability to perform hoist rescues in high-altitude, high-temperature conditions like those found at Mount Charleston or in remote canyon terrain. At altitudes above 11,000 feet (3,353 meters), where the thin air robs engines of performance, the twin-engine H145 provides the lift and stability needed for hoist work.
“When we evaluated options, we needed something that could handle our high-and-hot conditions in places like Mount Charleston,” Petersen said. “The H145 checked all the boxes.”
The aircraft has since proven its worth time and again, from cliff rescues to mountain extractions. It was also the first H145 in law enforcement service in the United States, with LVMPD input helping shape Airbus’s later law enforcement configurations.
But there’s a catch. Each year, the H145 is down for six to 10 weeks of annual maintenance. During that period, the unit has no organic hoist capability. “When the 145 is down for annual maintenance, we have no SAR helicopter in the county,” Petersen admitted. “That’s a major vulnerability when you’re talking about life-and-death rescues.”
The gap leaves the unit dependent on Nellis Air Force Base or the Nevada National Guard, whose response times are measured in hours instead of minutes. For a hiker clinging to a cliff face or a dehydrated tourist in Valley of Fire, those delays can mean the difference between survival and tragedy.
Petersen and his team are pushing for a second hoist-capable aircraft to ensure continuous coverage — especially as the city takes on global events like the the
Super Bowl and Formula One, as well as New Year’s Eve, when demand spikes.
Training for the mission
The Air Support Unit is staffed by just 16 personnel: 12 pilots, two pilots in training, and one full-time tactical flight officer (TFO) on loan from the Henderson Police Department.
The unit is led by Lt. Dave Gordon and supported by three sergeants, including Administrative Sgt. Dave Brooks, who helps bridge the knowledge gap for supervisors who may not have an aviation background. The team is divided into four squads, each generally staffed with three pilots. Each squad handles day or night operations,
with overlapping shifts on Wednesdays. While the official staffing goal is 15 pilots,
real-world numbers fluctuate based on training status and availability.
The unit operates on a dual-shift schedule: day shift from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and night shift from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. “That leaves a five-hour window with no one in the building, but we have personnel on call for both patrol and rescue,” Petersen said. On average, each aircraft flies five to six hours per shift.
Joining their ranks is no easy feat. Officers must obtain a private pilot’s license — rotorcraft or fixed-wing — just to qualify for testing, often at a personal expense of $15,000 or more. To help officers make informed decisions, the unit runs a six-week Temporary Duty Assignment (TDY) program. This rotation introduces candidates to TFO training and gives a realistic preview of the job. Even then, the failure rate hovers between 60 and 70 percent.
“Some of these candidates leave detective assignments and lose their specialty pay,” Petersen said. “If it doesn’t work out, they go back to patrol, so there’s a lot on the line.”
Once selected, the training never stops. Hoist operators, for instance, are on a strict 120-day currency cycle, performing regular repetitions to stay sharp. “Hoist work is dangerous, especially in high winds or tight terrain,” Petersen explained. “There’s always some kind of training going on, whether it’s rope systems, tactical medicine, or volunteer coordination. It’s all about maintaining readiness.”
To meet the demands of nearly 100 annual rescue missions, the LVMPD Air Support Unit depends on a skilled volunteer force of 45 individuals who augment its seven full-time SAR officers and one dedicated sergeant. The volunteers are divided into four specialized teams: lead climbers, tactical medics, mountain rescuers, and divers — each trained to meet the region’s unique challenges. They might be setting up rope systems high on Red Rock Canyon’s cliffs, treating patients during a rescue or SWAT callout, or diving into the depths of Lake Mead in search of a missing person.
Only four officers are certified hoist operators at any time due to strict training requirements, so volunteers often serve as ground crew or ride the line during extractions. They also assist in training, including gunfighter medical courses for patrol officers. The volunteers’ expertise, flexibility, and commitment allow the unit to remain mission-ready. “We couldn’t do the job without them,” Petersen said. “They’re critical to everything we do.”
The tourist effect at scale
Tourism’s impact on the Air Support Unit extends far beyond rescue missions — it shapes the unit’s entire workload. In 2024, the team logged 4,051 patrol flight hours, along with 725 hours of training and 116 hours devoted specifically to rescue operations. Over the course of the year, they responded to 9,341 calls for service, arrived first on scene in 3,777 incidents, and assisted in the recovery of 416 stolen vehicles. Their operational support included 207 mutual aid responses, and their work contributed to 1,088 arrests. SAR remained a central part of their mission, with 91 SAR operations carried out across the region’s vast and unforgiving terrain.
Even within that broad public safety role, SAR stands apart. Those 91 missions may represent a small fraction of the total call volume, but each one is complex, resource-intensive, and often linked to the city’s booming tourism industry. The same visitors who come to Las Vegas seeking adventure in the desert are, increasingly, the ones driving the Air Support Unit’s rescue workload.
Major events amplify those pressures. During the Formula One Grand Prix, LVMPD worked alongside federal agencies such as U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which brought in additional aircraft and drone support with advanced downlink technology. The Super Bowl and New Year’s Eve see similar surges in demand, requiring multiple aircraft in the air at once — one for patrol, another for quick-reaction SAR.
“There’s been tremendous buy-in from the department and even federal partners,” Petersen said, noting the growing recognition of the Air Support Unit’s value in a region fueled by tourism. “They’ve seen how crucial our air assets are during major events, and they’ve started investing accordingly.”
All of this unfolds in one of the busiest and most complex airspaces in the nation. Las Vegas’s Class Bravo environment is crowded with airline traffic, tour operators, and private flights. The Air Support Unit’s relationship with Harry Reid International Airport’s air traffic controllers has become a critical enabler.
“We’re the only operator in the Bravo airspace that isn’t bound by set transition routes,” Petersen said. “That’s because we’ve built trust with ATC. We host them for ride-alongs and we visit their facility, so they know who we are and what we’re doing.”
That trust pays dividends. “There have been times when tower controllers have spotted suspects or vehicles for us before we got eyes on them,” Petersen noted. “They’re part of the mission.”
Looking ahead
The future of SAR in Las Vegas is tied directly to growth — both of the city and of its aviation resources. Tourism shows no signs of slowing, and every influx of visitors brings a proportional rise in emergencies.
To keep pace, the department is developing a long-term fleet replacement plan. Petersen is advocating for greater standardization across aircraft types to simplify training, maintenance, and logistics.
“The 145 has been phenomenal for us, but it’s just one ship,” he said. “If we’re serious about keeping people safe — both locals and the millions of visitors who come here — we need to expand.”
At the time of the H145’s acquisition, LVMPD retired two HH-1H Iroquois helicopters — Vietnam-era Hueys — to make room for the new aircraft. “Our maintenance team did a phenomenal job keeping those running,” Petersen noted. “But they were 1973 airframes. It was time.”
Today, the MD 530 fleet remains the backbone of patrol operations. One of those aircraft, Air 3, carries a unique legacy: originally an MD 500E built in the early 1980s and converted into an F-model in 1986, it holds serial number nine. “It was used for a climb test to 20,000 feet,” Petersen said proudly. “That’s in our maintenance log. It’s a cool piece of MD Helicopters history.”
Another workhorse, Air 4, an H125 delivered in October 2022, has proven effective for patrol missions — though not without its quirks. “We would’ve configured it differently,” Petersen admitted. “The legs are great, the speed is great, but the air conditioning leaves something to be desired. And the maintenance costs have been a learning curve after operating a 530 budget for so long.”
Still, the unit sees opportunity in future standardization. “We’re running three
different aircraft types right now,” Petersen said. “It’s hard to maintain conformity with that. That’s one of the things we’re working through in our fleet replacement planning.”
Supporting that operational tempo requires relentless attention to maintenance. “We operate anywhere from 10 to 12 hours daily, which means every two weeks, one of our helicopters is due for a 100-hour inspection,” Petersen explained.
The maintenance team includes three full-time mechanics and a maintenance supervisor who coordinates all scheduling and ensures the fleet stays mission-ready. “He gives us a heads-up on what will be down and when,” Petersen added. “I can’t say enough about what that team does.”
From technical rescues in canyons to high-speed pursuits over city streets, the LVMPD Air Support Unit remains a critical force multiplier for Southern Nevada. With a proven fleet, a seasoned team, and a culture of excellence, the unit continues to evolve to meet the demands of one of the most complex operating environments in the country.
For LVMPD’s Air Support Unit, the “tourist effect” is more than a statistic — it’s a daily reality. Visitors misjudge the desert, climbers find themselves stranded on canyon walls, and boaters become disoriented on Lake Mead. It’s why the team trains constantly, relies on dedicated volunteers, and fights for the aircraft that make rescue possible.
From the Strip to the summits, Las Vegas is a city defined by spectacle. But behind the lights and noise, a small team of aviators, officers, and volunteers stands watch — always ready to bring people home when adventure turns into emergency.
For a deeper look at the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Air Support Unit, tune into this two-part Hangar Z Podcast series (Part 1, Part 2).