It is the largest municipal airborne law enforcement organization in the United States[2] and operates from the LAPD Hooper Heliport.

While originally devoted to aerial traffic enforcement, the ASD has grown to support a wide variety of police activity.

In 1968, the unit received its first turbine-powered helicopter, the Bell 206A JetRanger, which significantly decreased police response times.

In 1976, the ASD added the Special Flight Section (SFS), a unit dedicated to supporting undercover police operations.

LAPD air units provide aerial surveillance for vehicle pursuits, robberies, large crowd demonstrations, drug interdiction, and search and rescue missions.

Air units are automatically requested when initiating a traffic stop on a suspect with known wants or warrants that are a felony in order to limit the potential for a pursuit.

[8] On August 30, 1966, Policemen Larry Amberg and Alex N. Ilnicki, were on traffic patrol in Air 1 (Bell 47G, reg.

Lindenberg was practicing simulated urban high-rise rooftop landings at an off-site pad on top of a small mountain near the Los Angeles Zoo in the hills above Hollywood.

Lindenberg was an experienced instrument rated pilot with 3575 hours of total flight time and 426 in type.

[15] On June 13, 1991, Officers Gary Alan Howe and Charles Randall Champe were killed when they experienced an in-flight engine failure which caused their helicopter to crash into a parking lot near Normandie Elementary School.