Air Support for local police?

[Lancer]

http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061104/UPDATE02/61104006

Cathedral City police warn residents to stay inside by plane, nab armed suspect

Kakie Urch
The Desert Sun
November 4, 2006
The Federal Aviation Administration in Los Angeles, contacted about the plane, said it was a Civil Air Patrol plane and nothing unusual. The Palm Springs Fire Department, which monitors the airport did not have information on the plane and Palm Springs police refered calls to Cathedral City

Cathedral City officials confirmed that the flight was not a drill, but that officers were chasing an armed suspect in the area, but would not provide further information.

The suspect has been apprehended by Cathedral City police, they confirmed.

I can't wait to hear more details about this...

[JC004]

I'm still trying to figure out exactly what they're saying.  Maybe they should have done more research before publishing this.

[Pylon]

The article sounds like its implying a CAP plane flew over a neighborhood, loudly broadcasting a message for residents to stay inside while police chased down a dangerous criminal in their area.   I agree it's a poorly worded article.

Wonder if we'll hear more from other outlets?

[DNall]

huh? They mounted a loud speaker on it or what? How'd they get a crew scrambled & in the area fast enough to be of use in such a situation, much less the approvals involved? I'm not entirely happy with these kinds of missions. I know you can make a case for it protecting life & safety, but it can also get a couple rounds up thru the floor board when some idiot makes a pretty fair assumption tat this is a LE plane trying to track him.

[JC004]

I wonder if there just wasn't some serious confusion on the part of the news folks (although from the look of it, they were pretty confused).  Most publications would call CAP too if they heard it was a CAP plane.  It looks like they just took what someone wrote down on their sticky note while researching it.

I envisioned a CAP plane flying down the middle of the street, barely clearing anything, and the observer yelling out the window "everyone get inside!"