The Police Maverick (also known as simply Polmav) is a police helicopter appearing in Grand Theft Auto IV, Episodes from Liberty City, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online, and due to appear in Grand Theft Auto VI. It is manufactured by Western Company in GTA IV and Buckingham in GTA V.
The Police Maverick previously appeared in the 3D Universe where it also assumed the design of a standard Maverick with an appropriate police livery. From GTA V, the Police Maverick is no longer based on the standard Maverick and assumes a more modern design.
Like previous titles, the Police Maverick will pursue the player when they have a Wanted Level of three or more stars.
Design[]
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
The Police Maverick in Grand Theft Auto IV and its episodes remains as an adaptation of the regular Maverick, with its design also based on that of the Bell 206. The livery is loosely based on those used on a previous generation of New York City Police helicopters, but with a reversed color scheme. The Police Maverick has a searchlight on the nose and, unlike its civilian or Helitours counterpart, features sidesteps on the rear bay doors. Color distribution is different to that of the regular Maverick, appearing in a white primary color for most of the fuselage and tail boom, and a secondary color for the engine compartment, part of the tail boom, and in the form of thin stripes passing on the sides. It also bears the LCPD markings, with "POLICE" text on the nose and tail boom.
Replacing the original "invisible" machine gun under the fuselage, there are two Police Officers seated on both sides of the helicopter, programmed to shoot the player with Carbine Rifles (or Advanced MGs in The Ballad of Gay Tony), with NOOSE TRU agents replacing police officers in Mavericks at four stars (provided that the FIB does not respond). The ability to deploy units has been removed from the game and, unlike in the 3D Universe, it may be replaced by the Annihilator from higher wanted levels, from five stars and above.
Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars[]
The Police Maverick has the same design as the GTA IV rendition, except that it is uncontrollable and uses a more traditional livery, being a thin blue stripe on the lower side and the "POLICE" text below the front door windows. It also has the same machine gun mounted as in the 3D Universe games, unlike GTA IV. It is obtainable through a secret method in the mission Payback.
Grand Theft Auto V and Online[]
In Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online, the Police Maverick has been redesigned with a modern appearance, based on the French Eurocopter AS350B. The livery is based on the design of the one used on the Los Angeles Police helicopters.
The aircraft assumes a completely different design and is no longer based on the regular Maverick, although given its name, it is implied to be a newer generation of the aforementioned vehicle (something seen with multiple vehicles in the same game). The front section is rather triangular in shape and is predominated by large windows, along with two access doors on the sides and a searchlight/camera below, similarly to the Frogger, Annihilator, Maverick, Buzzard and Buzzard Attack Chopper. Similar to the aforementioned aircraft, only NPC-operated Police Mavericks can use the searchlight, and players that sit on the copilot seat can use the camera to look around and tag other players.
The main section has a large bay with sliding doors that are always open, small side steps for access, and long skids on the underside, while the upper area has a tall engine compartment with two large exhausts, a three-bladed main rotor and two mounted winches, which can be used by either NOOSE TRU officers or other players in Grand Theft Auto Online. The tail boom is relatively long and features a strike guard below, large vertical stabilizers and small horizontal stabilizers, as well as a two-bladed tail rotor on the left.
The interior of the aircraft is similar than that of the Maverick, being a large flight instrument panel in the center. In the enhanced version, it uses the "Flyer" dial set that is also used on the Maverick and the Buzzard.
The aircraft is only available in a white primary color with a black livery texture on the front section and tail boom, along with LSPD markings on the sides and below the aircraft, with the LSPD emblem partially seen behind the sliding doors.
According to its functionality and the pilot during the mission Eye in the Sky, the mounted camera allows the user to identify individuals by reading RFID transmitters placed in 2012 San Andreas driver licenses. It is marked with the zoom bar, the direction, the height, and the LSPD name marked in a corner. It can activate a microphone to hear distant conversations and is implemented with thermal vision (much like Sniper Rifles in missions). The limitations of the device include a signal lost when the objective is hiding behind a solid structure unless thermal vision is used. In the enhanced version of Grand Theft Auto Online, some missions require the player to scan license plates of vehicles.
Performance[]
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
The Police Maverick appears to have a similar performance to its civilian counterpart, being easy to control, useful for navigating through the city. Its single turboshaft engine provides good power output for its blades, allowing for controllable movements, at the cost of being rather slow compared to the powerplant of the Annihilator or the small size of the Buzzard. In other words, the Police Maverick performs averagely, just like the standard version.
Because of the rather exposed cockpit, the front occupants may get shot from enemies in tall places or armed with assault rifles, considering the lower windows may be a weak spot for them when flying above these.
Grand Theft Auto V and Online[]
The Police Maverick has mediocre performance compared to other helicopters. However, as a freely available helicopter, it can be used for quick extractions or escapes. The aircraft is fairly maneuverable and has a descent airspeed. However, the Police Maverick's speed falls short of luxury helicopters such as the Swift or attack helicopters like the FH-1 Hunter. Its climbing rate remains average for a transport helicopter and has an average weight.
The helicopter is unarmored and only two shots from the Heavy Sniper will be enough to damage the engine, although it can fly for a little over two minutes before the engine completely fails. Just like every other unarmored helicopter, the Police Maverick will be destroyed in only one hit from a standard explosive. Against the Heavy Sniper Mk II equipped with explosive rounds, the helicopter will only take two to three hits. Because of its decent maneuverability, the Police Maverick is able to avoid standard homing missiles but, just like all helicopters without countermeasures, fails to avoid missiles with better tracking fired from the vehicles such as the: Deluxo, Oppressor Mk II, or Ruiner 2000. Due to the open cockpit, the front occupants are very exposed to gunfire. The tail of the helicopter can be shot to destroy it more quickly.
Variants[]
| Image | Vehicle | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 An unnamed Weazel News helicopter in Grand Theft Auto VI. |
Unnamed GTA VI Weazel News helicopter | Weazel News variant with a red, black and white livery. Utilized by a Weazel News film crew. | Due to appear in Grand Theft Auto VI. |
| Special variants | |||
 The Air Ambulance Police Maverick in Grand Theft Auto V and Online. (Rear quarter view) |
Air Ambulance variant | In Grand Theft Auto V, the Police Maverick has a second "Air Ambulance" livery featuring red stripes on the fuselage, boom and tail. In GTA V, the Police Maverick will only spawn with this livery at the Central Los Santos Medical Center rooftop helipads. In GTA Online, the vehicle may occasionally spawn with this livery on various rooftops around Los Santos. | |
Gallery[]
Design[]
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
A Police Maverick with LCPD officers inside.
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars[]
Police Maverick in the Android OS port of GTA Chinatown Wars.
Police Maverick in the Apple iOS port of GTA Chinatown Wars.
Grand Theft Auto V[]
A Police Maverick flying over Los Santos in a screenshot of GTA V.
A Police Maverick and a police cars chasing an Infernus. Note the red laser from the helicopter.
A Police Maverick chasing a lime-green Infernus in Vinewood Hills.
Trevor Philips aiming at a Police Maverick with an Assault Rifle. Note the red laser from the rifle.
Trevor stealing a Police Maverick in the mid-air as seen in his trailer.
Camera view of the Police Maverick during Eye in the Sky.
Police Maverick wreck after The Paleto Score. The destroyed apartment is in the background.
A Police Maverick featured on Rockstar Games' "Happy Holidays" artwork posted on December 23, 2022.
Side view of the Air Ambulance Police Maverick in Grand Theft Auto V and Online.
Grand Theft Auto VI[]
A Police Maverick in the first trailer.
The rear of a Vice-Dale Police Department Police Maverick in the second trailer.
Videos[]
Locations[]
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
The Police Maverick does not spawn on top of police stations like in previous games, so the only way to obtain one is by using the Helicopter Sniping Trick using one of two methods:
- First method - Obtainable by sniping the pilot, making the helicopter slowly hover to the ground undamaged. It only works 50% of the time; the rest of the time the Police Maverick will spin rapidly around in circles, hitting the ground with fierce force and exploding. Also obtainable by an even more frustrating process in which the helicopter is disabled at a low enough altitude that all occupants live, and then the Police Maverick is pushed into a safehouse Parking Spot. That method probably works less often than the previous. Other than that, one can only fly the Police Maverick in multiplayer Race Mode.
- Second method - Go to middle of the pond in Middle Park and snipe people until a three star wanted level is obtained. When the helicopter appears, shoot the pilot from the side. If it falls in shallow water, the player may obtain it. Since the Police Officers will not try to swim to the island to go after the player, they will have plenty of chances to get the Police Maverick before the Annihilator appears.
If the player manages to lure the helicopter over the pond in Middle Park, it will be easier to obtain, although the helicopter must have an open space and the water must be shallow.
The Ballad of Gay Tony[]
- On the rooftop helipad of the East Holland police station in Algonquin.
Grand Theft Auto V and Online[]
Police Maverick[]
- Vespucci Canals on Prosperity Street – On top of the Vespucci Police Station.
- Davis on Innocence Boulevard – On top of the Davis Sheriff's Station (sometimes an unarmed Buzzard will spawn instead). Stealing it will cause a one star wanted level, but that can be easily evaded with the vehicle itself.
- On the top of Mission Row Police Station (sometimes an unarmed Buzzard will spawn there). Once the player is on the roof, they receive an automatic 3-star wanted level
- Can be obtained during a 3-star wanted level by waiting it to land on the ground to deploy four agents, then taking everyone out (ensuring the pilot is taken out). It works better on Los Santos Naval Port (Elysian Island), as it has ample room for the Police Mavericks and officers in Police Cruisers will rarely arrive here, unless the player is at the far side of the restricted facility.
- On the roof of the Weazel News Building helipad.
- Police Mavericks regularly patrols various locations in San Andreas, particularly South Los Santos and Mission Row/Legion Square. Less frequently, they patrol Los Santos County and even more rarely Blaine County.
- At least one of them will patrol Los Santos International Airport and Bolingbroke Penitentiary.
Air Ambulance[]
- Spawns on two helipads at Central Los Santos Hospital.
- Can be seen flying around the Bolingbroke Penitentiary due to a glitch.
- Sometimes spawns on the top of the Vinewood Police Station helipad (can sometimes spawn as a regular Police Maverick as well).
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
Police Maverick[]
- Sometimes found in the same locations mentioned above.
- Will spawn more frequently when a player that is close to these locations has a 3-star wanted level or higher being pursued by Police Mavericks, as this will work as a spawn seed.
- Spawns on top of Mission Row Police Station during the Clubhouse Contact Mission of P.O.W at this location.
- Appears in the Planning Work: Vault Code and can be kept upon completion of the mission, although the steady control and camera features are no longer available.
Air Ambulance[]
- Sometimes spawns on the helipads at Central Los Santos Hospital.
- Sometimes spawns on top of the Vinewood Police Station, Vespucci Police Station and Weazel News Building (can sometimes spawn as a regular Police Maverick as well).
Prominent Appearances in Gameplay[]
The Lost And Damned[]
- One Police Maverick made a small cameo in Shifting Weight where it will join the police chase when Johnny Klebitz, Malc and DeSean reach the Northwood Heights Bridge. It can be destroyed.
The Ballad of Gay Tony[]
- In Not So Fast, after Luis Lopez has stolen the diamonds, few LCPD officers will arrive with the helicopter on the roof of The Libertonian and will try to kill the player. One can steal the Police Maverick when the player has to climb back on to the roof to get back in Yusuf's Buzzard by waiting a few seconds, when the Police Maverick will land on the roof.
- In For the Man Who Has Everything, several Police Mavericks will try to kill the player.
Grand Theft Auto V[]
- In The Long Stretch, police arrive in two Police Mavericks as an attempt to take out Franklin, Lamar and Stretch.
- In Eye in the Sky, Trevor must assist Franklin in the theft of the Z-Type using the Police Maverick's equipment.
- In The Paleto Score, a NOOSE team confronts the crew in a Police Maverick, but it is taken down and crashes into a nearby building.
- In The Big Score, Police Mavericks are seen in both approaches.
- In the Subtle approach, one attempts to take out the crew's Gauntlets and a second one appears in the cutscene trying to locate the suspects (which were already hidden in the trucks).
- In the Obvious approach, one is seen deploying NOOSE TRU agents in a nearby elevation trying to take out the crew and two are seen carrying LSPD officers with the same objective.
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
- In Chopper Tail, the player must follow a police helicopter to the meth lab where the Granger with the equipment is located.
- An Air Ambulance variant is provided in an Air Freight Cargo steal mission. The passengers can use Sniper Rifles to take down the enemies.
- Pairs of Police Mavericks may appear in an Air Freight Cargo Sell mission involving a Mogul. These are marked as regular enemy helicopters and carry NOOSE TRU agents armed with Combat MGs.
- Appears on the helipad of a building across the highway from The Diamond Casino & Resort in the Casino Heist, where it can be used by players to escape. This may be either the regular version or the ambulance variant.
- Used by attacking enemies in the Project 4808D: Desert and Project 4808E: Arena survivals.
- In Planning Work: Vault Code as part of The Union Depository Contract, the player steals a Police Maverick in order to tail the Union Depository Bank Manager and use its camera equipment to take incriminating evidence of the bank manager's extramarital affair.
- In Investigation: The Ballas as part of South Central Leak, a Police Maverick appears in the shootout and remains in the area while the Ballas run away from the police presence, but disappears after the interrogation of P.
- In Acid Product: Police sting, a Police Maverick can be seen on a building near the parking garage where the deal will take place, and will take off to intercept the player.
Rewards[]
Grand Theft Auto V and Online[]
- The Police Maverick gives the player a Sniper Rifle upon entry.
Rockstar Games Social Club[]
Grand Theft Auto V and Online[]
Oversights[]
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
- Once Niko gets out of a Police Maverick, the helicopter will start flying away and fall once it is realized that there is no pilot. This is because the game still reads the helicopter as AI-controlled. This will no longer happen when the player goes back to the safe house from a considerable distance away from it. This also happens with the Annihilator if it is obtained with the same method.
- Holding
/ to shut off the engine will prevent this. - Leaving the helicopter very close to the ground and then pressing / immediately before pressing / may hurt the player a bit, but the helicopter will not suffer this glitch, as it will not have enough time to ascend by itself.
- This bug was fixed in The Complete Edition update on PC.
- Holding
Grand Theft Auto V[]
- Sometimes, after a helicopter lands, the pilot will be alive (if the helicopter is still intact, but the engine is broken), it will be locked and the pilot remains in it, alive. Pointing a gun at him will make him flinch, although he will remain in the helicopter still. For example, the helicopter crashes into a suspect in a Jet, the helicopter might just stop working, but the pilot will stay in it and it will float down.
Specifications[]
Model[]
| Model name | Texture name | Handling name | Text label name | In-game name | Swankness | Flags | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GTA IV | polmav
|
polmav
|
POLMAV
|
POLMAV
|
Police Maverick | 4
|
|
| GTA Chinatown Wars | polmav
|
N/A | POLMAV
|
POLMAV
|
Polmav | N/A | |
| GTA V and Online | polmav
|
polmav
|
POLMAV
|
POLMAV
|
Police Maverick | 4
|
|
| GTA VI | |
|
|
|
N/A |
Population[]
| Groups | Scenario sets | Frequency (%) | Driver model | License plates | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GTA IV | None | N/A | 100 | N/A | N/A |
| GTA Chinatown Wars | None | N/A | None | N/A | N/A |
| GTA V and Online | None |
|
100 | S_M_Y_SWAT_01 | None |
| GTA VI | None | None | None | None | None |
Handling[]
| Max velocity (kmh / mph) | Gears | Engine type | Drivetrain | Mass (kg / lbs) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GTA IV | 160 / 99.2 | 1 | N/A | RWD | 4500 / 9900 |
| GTA Chinatown Wars | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| GTA V and Online | 160 / 99.2 | 1 | N/A | RWD | 6500 / 14300 |
| GTA VI | ? | ? | N/A | ? | ? |
Audio[]
| Horns | Engine | Police scanner | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Model | Category | Color | |||
| GTA IV | |
|
N/A | |||
| GTA Chinatown Wars | |
|
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| GTA V and Online | |
|
||||
| GTA VI | |
main_heli_engine
|
None | Frogger | Helicopter | None |
Traffic Default Colors[]
| GTA IV | PrimaryPrimaryPrimary color (1) | SecondarySecondarySecondary color (2) | PearlescentPearlescentPearlescent color (3) | TertiaryTertiaryTertiary color (4) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 113 Frost White | 74 Ultra Blue Poly | 113 Frost White | 0 Black |
| GTA V and Online | PrimaryPrimaryPrimary color (1) | SecondarySecondarySecondary color (2) | PearlescentPearlescentPearlescent color (3) | WheelsWheelsWheel/tertiary color (4) | TrimTrimTrim/quaternary color (5) | AccentAccentAccent/quinary color (6) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 134 Pure White (Classic) | 0 Metallic Black (Metallic) | 112 Metallic Frost White (Metallic) | 156 Default Alloy Color (Classic) | 0 Metallic Black (Metallic) | 0 Metallic Black (Metallic) |
Trivia[]
Grand Theft Auto V and Online[]
One of the artworks of the Police Maverick. Note that it assumes the design of its real-life inspiration.
- In one of the GTA V Artworks, the Police Maverick appears to assume the Eurocopter AS350B design, evidenced by the shorter rear doors and the different searchlight positioning, as well as a different livery, very different from the current one used by the vehicle in-game (excluding the "LSPD" on its underside, which remains the same).
- In the first trailer, the Police Maverick was initially based on its GTA IV rendition with the current black and white scheme.
- Unlike in GTA IV, Police Mavericks and Buzzards are never used by the LSPD during wanted levels, but only by NOOSE TRU agents. Only the ones used during certain missions and those flying above Grove Street, Vinewood, and Davis are used by the LSPD.
- Those spawning flying above the city will never chase the player while being wanted and will keep their scripted scenario, although the game will still mark them as active helicopters and will spot the player if they remain "identified" (i.e. not switching vehicles out of sight). If the player attempts to approach them while being wanted, the copilot will attack them with a Pistol.
- Police Maverick officers may talk through the megaphone quotes like "LSPD, hands up" and "Stop right there". They sound more muffled than the quotes read from the LSPD Cruisers, possibly due to their height.
- Due to the "Air Ambulance" only being a variant of the Police Maverick rather than a separate vehicle, it tends to spawn flying around the Bolingbroke Penitentiary instead of the regular Police Maverick.
- While the Police Maverick is programmed to carry two people in the rear bay during regular gameplay, those that spawn during wanted levels and are deploying NOOSE TRU officers on the ground will have two more appearing from behind the rear wall of the bay, as if the aircraft is capable of carrying six people.
See Also[]
- Helicopter (police) – Another police helicopter in the Grand Theft Auto III, also later appearing as a variant of the Police Maverick used by law enforcement in several other 3D Universe titles.
- Maverick – Base variant of the Maverick.