Police pilot ends career on a high note

Marisa O’Neil

Newport Beach Police Lt. Bob Oakley, who runs the helicopter program,

will end his career on a high note.

The veteran officer and longtime pilot received the 2004

Excellence in Police Aviation Award from the International Assn. of

Chiefs of Police last week. Oakley received the award for his work

with the program -- which serves Newport Beach, Costa Mesa and Santa

Ana -- less than a month before he retires.

“It’s a great way to end 31 years in law enforcement,” he said.

Pilots who work under Oakley nominated him for the award, which

recognizes police aviation managers who emphasize safety and

efficiency in their programs. Costa Mesa Police Chief John Hensley

and Newport Beach Police Chief Bob McDonell submitted Oakley for the

award.

He beat out aviators from 13 other agencies from throughout the

country and Canada for the award.

“He knows how to handle people and make them work really well,”

Costa Mesa Police Sgt. Marty Carver said. “[Airborne Law Enforcement]

is considered one of the most professional agencies in law

enforcement.”

Oakley started his career with the San Gabriel Police Department

before coming to Newport Beach in 1980. In 1982, he applied for a job

as an observer with the city’s police helicopter crew.

The next year, he trained to became a pilot for the department. An

avid flier, he also took flying lessons on his own to learn how to

fly fixed-wing aircraft.

Then in 1987, when a Costa Mesa police helicopter was handing off

a car chase to Newport Beach Police, the two helicopters collided and

crashed near John Wayne Airport. The two Costa Mesa officers, Dave

Ketchum and Mike Libolt, died.

Oakley and his observer crashed into a field but survived.

“It was a life-changing experience,” Oakley said.

After that, he went on a mission to standardize operating policies

and procedures for pursuits involving multiple agencies.

“He really put safety No. 1,” Carver said. “He holds his pilots to

a very high standard, higher than the [Federal Aviation

Administration] requires. Since then, there’ve been no accidents.”

Costa Mesa and Newport Beach consolidated their helicopter

programs in 1996, creating a joint powers agency, Airborne Law

Enforcement, to patrol the skies over the two cities. They also cover

Santa Ana, which contracts them for their work.

Oakley oversees the program, its three helicopters, eight

full-time pilots from Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, mechanics and

maintenance workers.

And those people are what he will miss most when he retires.

“They’re the most rewarding part of my job,” he said. “The fact

that my co-workers took the time to nominate me for the award says a

lot about how they feel about me.”

Though he is retiring Friday, Oakley won’t be too far from the

airport. He plans to take a support role and help train his

successor, Costa Mesa Police Sgt. Tim Starn.

“They’re going to be some big shoes to fill,” Newport Beach Police

Officer and helicopter observer Mike La Vigne said.

* MARISA O’NEIL covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (714) 966-4618 or by e-mail at marisa.oneil@latimes.com.