In the nineteen-teens and twenties, thousands of pilots took to the skies across the U.S. Some were military pilots returned from World War I, flying planes carrying airmail. Others were barnstormers, looking to impress an audience on the ground and make a quick buck. The situation in the air was unregulated and, in places, downright chaotic.
The first American aerial police force was established in New York City to address some of the chaos. Initially, the force consisted of four planes and fourteen men. They enforced regulations regarding stunt flying over the city, grounded unlicensed fliers, and made rescues in the East River.
But it wasn’t just big cities that seized upon the idea of aerial police. A sheriff in Kansas bought a plane and equipped it with a machine gun, envisioning high speed pursuit of fleeing criminals. In Maryland, prohibition agents used planes to hunt for illicit distilleries. In Texas, air police chased border crossers.
See the Manufacturers Aircraft Association records at UW’s American Heritage Center to learn more.