Northeast Los Angeles residents are no strangers to the sounds of helicopters hovering low overhead.
Whether it's police helicopters pursuing a suspect or news crews angling for an aerial view of a developing story Angelenos are well acquainted with the sounds of the "chopper."
However, On Tuesday, the Los Angeles City Council voted in favor of legislation proposed by Rep. Howard Berman (D-Valley Village) that would provide some relief from the sound of buffeting blades.
From the Los Angeles Times:
The council voted to endorse a bill by Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-Valley Village), who held a public hearing last week in Sherman Oaks to hear from residents whose neighborhoods are affected by noisy, low-flying helicopters.
If passed, the measure would direct the FAA to establish flight paths for helicopters and set minimum altitudes at which they can operate over certain areas of the county.
Support for the bill was not unanimous. Councilmember Richard Alarcon dissented, according to the Times, citing concerns that it would prevent law enforcement officials from effectively doing their jobs.
Richard Ortiz, a detective at the Los Angeles Police Department's Northeast Community Station, did not comment directly about the bill but said that helicopters played a critical role in crime enforcement.
"I think they are very important, they are the first ones on the scene," he said. "If there's an incident, and we know it's involving a red car, the guys in the helicopters are going to be the first ones to get there and get the location of the red car. That kind of thing leads to arrests on a daily basis."
