Police Maverick/Tips and Tricks

While not available under normal circumstances, the Police Maverick is obtainable in GTA IV. First pick up a sniper rifle, and go way to the Island of Happiness. Climb the base of the tower until you get to the highest point (where you can obtain the T-shirt). Use a regular weapon to kill the guards nearby (to get the wanted level) as well as the few that come running from below. Since the island has no access roads, no reinforcements can be sent (other than the helicopter.) Next, wait for the helicopter to arrive. The next part is somewhat more difficult. Use the sniper rifle to kill one of the policemen in the rear (the officers shooting at you.) The helicopter will now turn around to give the other cop a clear shot. Shoot this one in the shoulder, causing him to drop the assault rifle. This officer will now use his regular firearm (which doesn't have the range or accuracy to hit you.) Finally, shoot the pilot through the windsreen. This will cause the helicopter to land intact. The player may find it easier to walk to a different area, so the helicopter will land in a flat area, as to not damage it.
 * The helicopter is still 'hot', meaning you can never escape the police circle by flying around as it follows you everywhere. Park the helicopter at a safehouse (Playboy X's Penthouse is recommended as there is roof access) or start a mission to lose the wanted level. Also, the LCPD will not send a new helicopter until yours has disappeared.
 * Amusing sidenote: Vehicles will actively ram your helicopter if it's parked near a safehouse.


 * There is another, although MUCH more annoying to accomplish, method to get the Police Maverick, provided by Crazyraider312 (note from Crazyraider312: though I have not tried the method above, it seems alot easier to accomplish than my method (and also seems to take less time), and also does not appear to involve cheats. So go with that first, and if you can't get that and don't mind cheats and alot of time spent to get it (you must first take out the chopper at a low height, then escape the pursuit via either phone call to a friend/Francis or via a cheat, then pushing the disabled chopper into a parking place), then go with my method below). Here is the explanation:

The Police Maverick is indeed flyable. It is an annoying process, and is often failed because of Rockstar's attempts to keep you from flying it. What is involved is using another chopper to take off the main rotor blade at a very low height, so that everyone inside survives. If anyone dies (because of the fall), then that officer will not get out, and you'll be unable to get the Police chopper. Once it is on the ground, land your chopper nearby, and if all went well, and the police officers lived, then kill them, get out of the pursuit, but NOT by running away, as the crashed chopper will disappear. Once you are out of the pursuit, push the chopper into a safehouse parking spot, save, and then (re)load the save file, in order to repair the chopper (you may need to load another save file and then load the one with the chopper). You now will have a new, flyable Police Maverick. There is no radio, no computer, and the searchlight is not available, as usual. It is still essentially a regular Maverick with a special paint job. (This is best done at the eastern Algonquin safehouse (not Playboy X's), where there is plenty of space to bring it down safely.) Second note: I found it incredibly useful to use cheats, and that was how I did it, however, I suppose it can be done without. -Crazyraider312


 * There is yet another way to accomplish this. Go to the Libertonian Museum in Middle Park, and climb the ladders/scaffolding in the back. Once on the roof, go to the front facing the street, and get a three-star wanted level. Then, wait for a LCPD Maverick to arrive. When it does, run North along the roof to make it hover low above the roof, then snipe the pilot. It should land intact. If it does not, wait for a new helicopter, or blow it up if it does not explode. If all goes well and it lands, kill the remaining officers, steal the helicopter, and fly to a safehouse that is easy to land the helicopter at. When you get there, the helicopter will fly up and out when you get out. Quickly push it back into the stall with a vehicle, since the LCPD will still be chasing you. Simply loose your wanted level, and travel back to find a new LCPD Maverick waiting for you. It should now operate just like a normal helicopter. This does not require cheats, but they would help if you wanted to use them.