I have been woken up a grand total of zero times by AIR1 (the EPS helicopter). I too, like someone else mentioned, feel safe and secure when it is flying overhead. At least that way I know that the police are up there watching, and doing an excellent job to catch whoever they are after.
I don't personally believe that my city council has the best interests of the police or the city. A committee recently voted to reduce the EPS budget by 3.9 million dollars next year, thus taking away 39 brand new cops that would have been patrollng the streets. The EPS came up with stats after looking at possible retirement, and they felt that they needed 100 officers hired in order to maintain staffing levels, and now city council does something stupid like that.
Now we have the chase "problem", and the police commission (which I have concluded is NOT popular at all with the department members after talking with numerous police officers here) wants to review that issue. Heaven forbid we should ever blame the criminals who do the running from the police. After all, they only broke the law and decided to speed up when the lights lit up...not like that is against the law or anything.
I am tired of police departments being called the bad guys by the media and watchgroups.