An East Bay PD Is Cutting Back On Flights After Pilots Accused Of Faking Tests

OAKLAND, CA — Community members may see fewer Oakland police choppers in the air over the next several months following the indictment of two of the department's pilots.

With three pilots left in the department, police will hover over the Oakland skies only four days a week. Before the indictment, police pilots took to the skies seven days a week, police said.

"The community will not be impacted," Oakland Police Department Acting Captain Eriberto Perez-Angeles said in a statement on Tuesday. "We're going to continue with our calls for service. That's not going to stop us from serving the community."

The announcement comes following a federal probe into two Oakland Police Department helicopter pilots, Brandon Mart and David Mac, who were accused of conspiring with a Federal Aviation Administration safety inspector to circumvent required test flights in exchange for certifications.

All three were charged in an August indictment with conspiracy and defrauding the FAA. Mart faces an additional two counts of falsifying records.

"We take these allegations seriously," said Oakland Police Department Chief James Beere in a statement on Thursday. "The employees in question were placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the case."

SEE ALSO: Oakland Police Sergeant Defrauded Department Out Of $38K: Officials

The pilots were placed on administrative leave during the investigation even before the charges were announced forcing the department to reduce flight times, according to authorities.

The department has tapped two officers to take on the roles, but they'll need to log in months of flight hours before they can officially take to the sky. That could take at least six to eight months, Perez-Angeles said.

For now, Oakland police will lean on the California Highway Patrol, Alameda County Sheriff's Office and East Bay Regional Parks Police Department for air support, authorities said.