Lake County, Indiana sheriff's department featured on new FOX show 'First Responders Live'

LAKE COUNTY, Ind. - The Lake County, Indiana sheriff's department is featured on the new FOX show “First Responders Live.”

It takes viewers on a ride-along with law enforcement and paramedics across the country.

You might be asking, why Lake County, Indiana? The sheriff told FOX 32 it was the department’s proximity to Chicago that encouraged producers of the show to reach out.

Imagine fighting crime from thousands of feet in the air. The Lake County, Indiana sheriff's department has the only aerial crime fighting unit in northwestern Indiana and on Wednesday, Patrolman and helicopter pilot David Eichelberger was at the controls.

"Our response time in the middle of the night from the time we get the phone call to the time we're airborne is about 15 minutes,” said Eichelberger.

The chopper's nickname is “The Hummingbird.” It's so quiet, that people below it don't even know it is overhead.

"We're 500 foot above their head and they barely even hear we're up here,” Eichelberger said.

Down on the ground, Deputy Timothy Heath is patrolling Crown Point, Indiana. Heath grew up in Gary and has been a Lake County deputy for four years.

"I had a lot of friends growing up they either went to jail or getting killed. So it was like, I wanted to stop that. I know I'm not like Superman, I can't, you know save the world, but I can play a small role in it,” he said.

In the next several weeks, viewers will ride along with Lake County deputies to see what they see firsthand.

"It goes beyond the badge. They actually get to see the officers who they really are. That they're human beings just like everyone else,” said Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr.

Producers and camera crews with the show have been riding with Lake County deputies for a few months already. They will wrap up filming at the end of July.