Nestled in the hills of northeastern Alabama, not far from the southern termination of the Blue Ridge Mountains, lies the city of Oxford, Alabama.
Known for its beautiful state parks and proximity to NASCAR’s Talladega Superspeedway, the local economy has long relied on Interstate 20, the major thoroughfare connecting Atlanta to the east, and Birmingham to the west.
With a population of just over 22,000, the municipality is served by a 70-person police force. As a relatively small department, the presence of an airborne law enforcement contingency would not be expected, as there are much larger agencies with no aircraft in operation. However, those cities lack a key component that Oxford possesses. They don’t have Jake Durham.
Durham joined the Oxford Police Department (OPD) nearly 20 years ago, rising to the rank of lieutenant in quick order. Not long into his tenure with the OPD, Durham identified the viability of an aviation unit.
With a family history in law enforcement, along with some early exposure to the benefits of airborne policing, he knew that his community could benefit from this asset.
“I reached out to other departments that were running an air unit and spoke to them about starting a unit up, how they acquired surplus aircraft, and so forth,” Durham recalled. “After doing my research, I put a proposal together and took it to the chief and told him that I think we really need this.”
However, with a new chief and no budget, his initial attempt was rebuffed. Durham refused to let the rejection deter him, so he went back to the drawing board and gave it another shot. The second time around, the chief was on board and signed off to allow Durham to begin his search for surplus aircraft. That was 13 years ago.
Thus began a four-year search for the unit’s first aircraft, culminating in the acceptance of a 1969 Hughes OH-6 helicopter that had previously seen time in the Vietnam War. After outfitting the aircraft with the necessary law enforcement equipment, it began serving the citizens of Oxford in 2015.
Another arrival that same year, which had a significant impact on the success of the fledgling unit, was chief pilot Drew Muench. As a long-time pilot in both fixed- and rotary-wing, including a career as a military helicopter aviator, when he heard Oxford was in the beginning stages of starting an air unit, he offered his services.
“Jake and I were able to combine his administrative experiences with my flight and training experience, and put this unit together,” Muench stated.
Even with the ambitions of Durham and Muench, none of what they have accomplished would have been possible without internal and external backing.
“We have been very fortunate to have the support of the department command staff, the mayor, the city council, and the community,” Durham explained. “We have that support because of not only being able to prove our worth to the city but also our transparency at every step of the process and subsequently, now that we are in operation.”
That support was most evident with the 2021 delivery of a brand-new, customized MD 530F.
“After flying the OH-6 for a few years, we were able to prove the value of the air unit and also show that there was a need for an additional helicopter,” Durham said.
Muench added, “We chose the 530F primarily for its flexibility and affordability. The purchase and daily operating costs are lower than the competition but even more important is that it performs our mission set better than other aircraft we looked at.”
By acquiring the 530F new from the factory, they were able to outfit it to their specifications. Equipment includes a FLIR Star SAFIRE 380-HDc multi-spectral camera system, Trakka Systems’ TrakkaBeam A800 searchlight, and Shotover’s augmented reality mission mapping system on a Macro-Blue display, along with Garmin GTN 750 and G500 TXi EFIS avionics in a night vision goggle (NVG)-compatible cockpit.
“Again, the support we receive from the department and the community has allowed us to put together an airborne platform that is perfect for our mission,” Muench stated.
Now housed in a purpose-built hangar facility that also incorporates other specialty units from the department, the aviation unit is well-positioned to provide aerial services to the city and surrounding police departments and their citizens.
As the first stop on the Blades of Valor Road Tour, Hangar Z Podcast hosts Jon Gray and Jack Schonely sat down with Durham and Muench to discuss the formation of the unit, its current operations, and what the future holds.
While in Oxford, the road tour team also witnessed a training day event that involved nearly 100 officers representing over 25 police departments and aviation units from around the region. Schonely taught his world-renowned course on suspect tactics and perimeter containment.
With 31 years of experience with the Los Angeles Police Department, including 19 of those as a pilot and tactical flight officer (TFO), few people have the qualifications to provide the insight and experience that Schonely does.
Tune into the latest episode of the Hangar Z Podcast (Part 1 and Part 2) to hear more about Durham, Muench, and the rest of the team at the Oxford Police Department Aviation Support Unit, along with details of Schonely’s training course.
And in case you missed it, check out the first article in the Blades of Valor Road Tour series where the team visited the U.S. Park Police Aviation Unit in Washington, D.C.
