Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 4034 AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: SEPTEMBER 2016 by Rebecca Looney I f you were alive in 1982 and, particularly, if you were living in Washing- ton, DC, the crash of Air Florida Flight 90 into the Potomac River is an event you remember. On a cold, snowy day in January, Flight 90 clipped the 14th Street Bridge on takeoff and crashed into the icy river, killing 74 people on the plane and four on the bridge. Only five people on board the aircraft survived and, today, what most people remember are the acts of courage required to rescue them. Don Usher, the pilot of Eagle One, recalled the frigid weather as the biggest challenge the rescue opera- tions faced. “The water tem- perature was very cold,” he recounted. ”The passengers had been in the water 20 minutes when we arrived. The rescues took 10 minutes longer.” Mr. Usher was a seasoned pilot who had honed his flying skills in the jungles of Vietnam. Rescue Technician Gene Windsor balanced precariously on the skids of the Eagle One in order to throw a rope and life ring to the survivors in the water. Without a hoist and in a helicopter much smaller than today’s rescue craft, survivors had to be dragged through the water to the shore. Now more than thirty years later, the Eagle One helicopter is being prepared for its final flight back home to Washington, DC. It will hang proudly in the National Law Enforcement Museum scheduled to open in 2018. Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc. generously sponsored the restoration of the heli- copter and helped acquire needed parts for the restora- tion. Arrow Aviation in Brous- sard, Louisiana, used their technical expertise to restore the helicopter to its original glory; sweating every detail to make it right. Pilot Don Usher and the U.S. Park Police Aviation Unit, still operating out of the Eagle’s Nest in Anacostia, Washing- ton, DC, provided invalu- able references, parts, advice and helped keep alive the memory of this significant event in law enforcement history. Rebecca Looney is the Sr. Direc- tor of Exhibits and Programs for the National Law Enforcement Museum. Rescue Technician Eugene Windsor (left) and Pilot Don Usher in 1982. Eagle 1 after a new paint job during its second life with the Bureau of Land Management. Historic helicopter donated to Police Museum Five lives saved in daring water rescue in the icy Potomac We could all use a little less fear-mongering and animos- ity and little more of this. In Raleigh, North Carolina recently, two utility workers on their lunch break saw a couple of cops. So they decided to walk over, shake hands, thank the officers for their service and wish them well. “It was basically just to thank them and let them know how much we appreci- ate them,” Quincy Brown, a utility worker told reporters with WRAL. “We know that things are hard right now.” The situation for Ameri- ca’s law enforcement com- munity has become incred- ibly tense especially after the incidents in Dallas and Baton Rouge where eight of- ficers were shot to death and several more injured within the space of two weeks. “With the number of inci- dents that are occurring, it makes you think a little bit, but it doesn’t deter us,” said Capt. Craig Haines. The guys walked over for precisely that reason. “We wanted them to know that not everybody thinks the same, and we don’t think that they are bad because we have had some bad elements in the system,” Brown said. “If it can just make them feel better and keep their spirits up. I’m going to do it all day long,” Brown said. It’s amazing what happens when people actually talk to each other. What’s up, guys? We just wanted to shake hands & say thanks for everything