Episode 908: Pro-Active Patrolling From the Skies with Jon Gray & Matt Szluka

On today's episode, Dennis speaks with RET police helicopter
pilot and host of The Hangar Z Podcast, Jon Gray and State
Trooper & Fixed-Wing Aircraft Pilot, Matt Szluka


Jon's bio:


Hangar Z podcast founder and host, Jon Gray, is a Southern
California native and second-generation police officer. Jon’s
interest in public safety aviation began in childhood where he
was exposed to tactical flight via the Anaheim Police
Department’s Angel program. His father, a 32-year veteran of the
Anaheim Police Department, encouraged this interest, and it
eventually led him to pursue a career in public safety aviation.
He is currently a helicopter pilot with the Ontario Police
Department in Ontario, California.


After graduating college with a bachelor's degree in Sociology,
Jon was hired by San Diego PD as a police officer. At San Diego
PD Jon was assigned to Southern Division Patrol and the Border
Crime Suppression Team. He later transferred to the Ontario
Police Department where he worked patrol, was assigned to the
Community Oriented Policing Unit as a graffiti and gang
investigator, and served collaterally as a hostage negotiator.
After nine years in the field, Jon was selected to become a
part-time tactical flight officer in the air support unit. He was
then selected to become a full-time tactical flight officer and
was ultimately promoted to pilot in 2017. Jon medically retired
in May 2023. During his hour plus commute to work Jon would
listen to podcasts to pass the time. It wasn’t long before he
noticed a void in the podcast segment that represented and
promoted public safety aviation. To fill that void, Jon started
the Hangar Z Podcast in August of 2020.











Today, Dennis, Jon and Matt discuss continual effort to learn and
progress in the field, passion for proactivity and interdiction,
importance of aviation policing, night vision, infrared and LPR
technology, employing aviation in modern day policing, things to
consider when Developing an aviation unit and how drones have
impacted law enforcement surveillance.


Check out "The Hangar Z Podcast" here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hangar-z-podcast/id1527649477


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