Ep. 5 SJSO Unlocked: The SJSO Aviation Unit

Members of the SJSO Aviation Unit join Public Information Officer Taylor Levesque on Episode 5 of SJSO Unlocked! The primary mission of the SJSO Aviation Unit is to provide support to patrol, investigations, and special teams on the ground responding to calls for service. The Aviation Unit protects the St. Johns County community from above and has an important role in helping save lives. The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit was formed in 1997, and has grown to have five pilots, three tactical flight officers (TFO), two full-time aircraft maintainers, and one part-time aircraft maintainer. They operate two Bell 407 aircrafts. In this episode, Pilot Casey Kumar reflects on assisting with the safe landing of an aircraft in distress over Green Cove Springs in February 2025. TFO Gavin Higgins tells us about a March 3, 2025 pursuit of a South Florida kidnapping suspect through St. Johns and Putnam counties and how the Aviation Unit discovered the suspect hiding in the back of a carry-by semi truck. You'll also learn about the responsibilities of the pilot and TFO, partnerships with local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, training, etc. #TeamSJSO hopes you enjoy this episode of SJSO Unlocked, available on Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, and YouTube. Click this link to listen: https://rss.com/podcasts/sjsounlockedpodcast/ Do you have a question for Sheriff Hardwick, SJSO personnel, or a topic you'd like us to discuss? Send us an email at [email protected]. Thank you for your support.