August 16, 2004
Press Release

Sheriff Mike Brown Announces Bedford County Sheriff’s Office Air Wing Group

Bedford, VA – Attorney General Jerry Kilgore was on hand to congratulate Bedford Sheriff Mike Brown and his staff during a press conference held at the Smith Mountain Lake Airport, introducing the Bedford County Sheriff’s Air Wing Group, (AWG).

This Air Wing Group, the first of its kind in Commonwealth of Virginia, is a locally-driven program which is made up of county residents that are certified pilots, who donate their time and planes to law enforcement. These pilots will be utilized for search and rescue situations, disaster relief, reconnaissance missions such as drug and other criminal activity surveillance, homeland security and, humanitarian services. AWG members have air/ground observation and communications assets at their disposal and can provide aerial reconnaissance, photography, radiological monitoring, disaster damage assessment, and much more.

The BCSO AWG is comprised of Captain Rick Wiita, CWO Harvey Hamilton, CWO Barry Redwood, CWO Robert Lee and M/Sgt Johnny Bohannon.

Sheriff Brown views the AWG as a logical outgrowth of their already extremely successful ventures into community policing initiatives, and greatly enhances the level of services that this agency is able to offer its citizens and surrounding jurisdictions.

Bedford County Sheriff’s Office boasts five active volunteer programs that have built strong bridges between law enforcement and citizens. R.S.V.P. (Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol), TRIAD, SCALES (Senior Citizens Assisting Law Enforcement Services), Neighborhood Watch and the Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association. These volunteer programs were created in an effort to involve citizens in the daily activities of the sheriff’s office while making our communities safer from threats of crime, terrorism and disasters that may occur.

Sheriff Brown is pleased to have twenty-four hour access, seven days a week, to five fixed wing aircraft and four certified pilots.

Left to right: Sheriff Mike Brown, CWO Barry Redwood (Pilot), CWO Harvey Hamilton (Pilot), Attorney General Jerry Kilgore, CWO Robert Lee (Pilot), M/Sgt Johnny Bohannon (Surveillance Specialist)

Attorney General Kilgore prepares for flight with CWO Barry Redwood.

Contact: Robin Sundquist – Admin Officer – 540.586.4800