NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WECT) - The WECT newsroom receives calls, emails and Facebook posts several times a week alerting us on the whereabouts of the SABLE helicopter. Some folks want to know if they need to stay inside, while others ask what all the noise is about.
Chris Grindstaff flies in SABLE as a Tactical Flight Officer. He said the chopper is not airborne as much as everyone thinks.
"Everybody says that it's sable," said Grindstaff, "but 98% of the time it's not us."
And when it is SABLE, pilot Paul Letson said the crew does its best to maintain a high altitude to reduce noise. But sometimes the noise can do more than annoy a light sleeper. Letson said criminals might stop what they're doing at the sound of SABLE.
"They might not do that breaking and entering, thinking there's a chance that they're going get caught because we're so close by," said Letson.
Wilmington Police Chief Ralph Evangelous said the copter works as a force-multiplier. More than just another pair of eyes in the sky, the two-man SABLE crew is a presence to be acknowledged.
New Hanover County Sheriff Ed McMahon said people should welcome the sound of SABLE, because it's the sound of local law enforcement doing their job.
Sheriff McMahon added that you will be warned if SABLE is flying around your neighborhood for a serious incident requiring you to stay behind closed doors.
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