In het bovenstaande artikel worden de volgende taken genoemd voor politiehelikopters:
* Provide the City with an effective, highly visible community anti-crime program with a highly favorable cost to benefit ratio
* Enhance the City's pro public safety image in the eyes of both its residents and the criminal element
* Provide widespread ability to monitor and disperse gang activity
* Reduce vehicle theft, robbery, burglary, and assaults, etc.
* Increase criminal apprehension rates
* Reduce police response time to emergency and "in-progress calls" and provide valuable support to City staff during disasters such as the recent earthquake, the 1992 floods, and others events.
* Deter street narcotic activity
* Provide improved narcotic surveillance, increasing the opportunity for seizures of illegal narcotic assets (which could help support the Air Unit's operating budget)
* Improve safety to Police Officers investigating criminal activity
* Reduce the number and duration of police pursuits thereby limiting the City's liability exposure and the risk to officers and innocent third parties
* Reduce man-hours spent conducting searches for missing persons and criminal suspects
* Facilitate traffic management
* Provide increased SWAT capabilities
* Facilitate patrol and off-road enforcement in the open areas surrounding the City
* Increase the level of fire protection