Publication: KABC

UCLA Expert: Nicholas Shapiro: Professor, UCLA Department of Society & Genetics; Member, UCLA California NanoSystems Institute 

Synopsis: Should law enforcement helicopters fly so much, and is the benefit worth the cost? A new study, led by Shapiro is looking at the impact of the emissions from the use of these helicopters.

UCLA News: "I think the idea in the public is that these helicopters are constantly in pursuit, constantly the eye in the sky, a high-speed car chase, but the reality, what we see, is that these are helicopters that are largely on patrols, specifically with the LAPD," Shapiro said. He found that LAPD helicopters used about 766,000 gallons of fuel per year, the equivalent of about 1,500 cars on the road.

Read more at KABC.