NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – On Thursday night as holiday shoppers start to pour into area malls and stores, the aviation unit for Metro Nashville Police Department will be watching.
The aviation unit will have helicopters doing self-initiated patrols and also supporting officers on the ground. This is the second year the unit has done a Black Friday operation.
The helicopters are able to fly about 500 feet off the ground to have an up close presence or fly higher.
“We can see a whole lot from our vantage point,” Sgt. Kurt Knapp said. “If anything looks out of the ordinary we can notify the ground officers and let them know what is going on.”
He continued, “You can definitely get a clothing description on someone and things like that.”
Pilots this year will also be using new Gyro-Stabilized Binoculars, which will help them to see people and objects on the ground better.
They can also use FLIR technology, which reads heat signatures to track people at night and they have night vision goggles they can wear.
This Black Friday there are also concerns about terrorist attacks.
President Barak Obama said there are not credible threats at this time, but MNPD is going to be watching closely.
At the Tennessee Titans game, the Aviation Unit was deployed after the attacks in Paris.
“The last Titans game we had a SWAT member with us because of the elevated threat level to our country,” Sgt. Knapp said. “It gave us an extra set of eyes in a tactical sense.”
The helicopters also allow for a quick response time to assist officers on the ground.
“We don’t have to wait in traffic or take turns,” Sgt. Knapp said. “We can go from Bellevue to Joelton in less than 10 minutes.”
In addition to the Aviation Unit Flex, special duty officers from each precinct will be used to patrol on foot at shopping centers.
Malls have also hired more off duty officers to be present inside.
“It is not just what the police department is doing,” Hermitage Precinct Commander Preston Brandimore said. “It is what local businesses are doing by stepping up.”
He continued, “It is citizens stepping up and if they see something say something.”
Police are also reminding everyone to park smart by not leaving valuables in plain sight and locking their doors.
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