Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Held This Afternoon for New MNPD Aviation Facility at John C. Tune Airport

Chief John Drake, Mayor Freddie O'Connell and representatives of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority today cut the ribbon for the MNPD's new Aviation Facility and Hangar at John C. Tune Airport. For the first time, police department helicopter operations are now based in an airport setting rather than the training academy grounds in the Tucker Road neighborhood of Bordeaux.

The new facility is a major upgrade from the former cramped quarters. It is nearly 22,000 square feet in size, including 10,000 square feet of hangar space and an additional 12,000 square feet of office space, something the department's eight pilots, helicopter mechanics, and tactical flight officers have long needed.

The Aviation Unit contributes greatly to Nashville's public safety. The helicopters greatly reduce the number of dangerous ground pursuits, as the skilled flight crews monitor fleeing vehicles from the air. In calendar year 2025, the department's helicopters directly aided in the apprehension of 817 criminal suspects.