Concern voiced over clarity of ASTREA helicopter broadcasts

When the Sheriff’s Department launched its ASTREA (Aerial Support to Regional Enforcement Agencies) helicopter the morning of Dec. 26 to search for a mentally ill adult male who had wandered away from his Fallbrook home, many area residents said they had difficulty understanding what officers were saying through the aircraft’s public address system.

Comments sent to the Village News email and website included, “I think they are saying a three-year-old girl is missing,” “I couldn’t understand if it was a 4, 14, or 40-year old male missing,” and “I thought they said a four-year-old Asian boy was...