U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter helps Chicago police make arrests
CHICAGO (CBS) – It's a stealthy group of pilots that are hard to notice as they work, sometimes under the cover of night, to keep Chicago's streets safe.
CBS 2 Investigator Megan Hickey had the story on how U.S. Customs and Border Protection has lent the Chicago Police Department a helping hand in some recent carjacking busts.
A special CBP helicopter unit CBS 2 first reported on last year has only two agents, but they helped arrest 162 suspects over the last year and recovered even more cars.
A dramatic scene was the result of a high-speed crash that launched an SUV into the air. It landed on a parked car Tuesday night in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. Close to a dozen officers were on the ground and determined the license plate on the car had been reported stolen.
But what might not have been so obvious was a helicopter from the Detroit-based U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations Unit. Director Marc Sledge said it was when law enforcement on the ground had to pull back on the pursuit that his team was able to maintain persistent aerial surveillance, ultimately leading to the arrest of the 21-year-old driver.
"We have tactics and techniques and technology that we employ to keep the suspect thinking that they have gotten away," Sledge said.
Sledge said they're getting sharper. Between Oct. 1, 2022, and Sept. 30, 2023, their team helped make 162 arrests, 96 more than last year, and recover 231 vehicles, an increase of 117 from the year before.
"We remain out of audible range, and if they don't hear the sirens behind, and they think they got away," Sledge said.
They also assisted Chicago police last week at an armed carjacking in an alley in Lincoln Park. In that case, the victim was able to use an AirTag inside the car to help police locate the car.
Officers on the ground lost the car, but the CBP chopper was able to locate it again.
"The victim fled on foot, where we maintain persistent surveillance, called his location out, and ground units were able to apprehend that suspect," Sledge said.
Chicago police also had two helicopters, but Sledge's team joined forces with CPD back in March of 2021 to put more eyes in the sky and he said it's been a true success.
"We're taking criminals off the street," he said. "So not only are we [helping] the Chicago Task Force, but we're mirroring similar operations here in Detroit as well."
Sledge said every night they work in Chicago, there is no sitting around. They are in the air and busy every single shift.
Over the last year, his team also helped take 50 weapons off the street.