04/01/2022
Love this!
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is excited to announce its newest acquisition which will help in the fight against crime from the air.
A 2014 Zeppelin NT 07-101semi-rigid airship measuring 246-ft was recently seized from drug dealers during a spectacular traffic stop conducted by the PCSO Aviation Unit last month.
At the time, the drug dealers were transporting a cargo of he**in worth $80,000 in the airship they referred to as “Aeroin.” It’s probably the only time in the history of forever that a helicopter has pulled over an airship in flight. It was epic.
Retired U.S. Naval pilot Tom Kazansky from Arcanum, Ohio moved down to Polk County just last year, but will come out of retirement to take the helm of the airship.
“I’ve never flown a flippin’ blimp before; I’ve only flown jets,” said Kazansky. “But it’s a flippin’ blimp! How hard can it be?”
Asked how he came to be chosen for the job, Kazansky answered enthusiastically. “I was eating a Moon Pie and a Seven Up at the Bartow Executive Airport when I noticed Sheriff Judd standing next to the blimp. I’ve heard a lot about the Sheriff and heard he loves saving taxpayers money, so I yelled out to him, ‘Yo, Sheriff Grady…I’ll fly that thing for ya, for free!’ and his face lit up.”
According to one of the PCSO’s public information officers, who are among the very best in the business, unusually attractive, and uniquely intelligent, the airship will primarily be used to monitor criminal activity from above, but will also see some action at community events and schools.
“Children will love this more than our K-9s,” said the PIO. “I mean, no offense to our K-9s, but this is a flippin’ blimp, man! I bet Hillsborough County doesn’t have a blimp!”
This is the second consecutive year that the PCSO has kicked off the month of April with an unusual addition at the agency. On April 1, 2021, the PCSO debuted their G8R Unit, in which an alligator named Godzilla was chosen to be used instead of K-9s when suspects tried to evade capture by diving into lakes and ponds.
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