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Edmonton police tweet live account of a night patrolling the city from Air 1

Edmonton police helicopter. File/Global News

EDMONTON — If you’ve ever wondered what it was like to police the city from the sky, wonder no more.

The Edmonton Police Service took to its Twitter account Friday night to give users a live account of what it’s like to patrol the city from Air 1, the force’s police helicopter.

When it comes to catching the bad guys, the service’s primary tool is an infrared camera that gives officers the ability to see in the dark using heat.

The EPS tweeted several pictures and videos from the sky, between 9:30 p.m. and midnight.

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Many people have probably seen the chopper in the air from the ground, but the social media event gave people a chance to see a bird’s-eye view of what police see from the air.

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The service also answered several questions, including what they do between calls.

“We get a list of problem areas and we do proactive monitoring in those areas,” the EPS tweeted.

The EPS said it usually flies at least 1,000 feet above the ground. And when it comes to which part of the city sees the most air patrol, the EPS said it’s fairly spread out.

“It’s pretty even, actually,” the EPS tweeted. “The pilots tend to play the wind so they wind can help get them around faster.”

 

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