Re: Thats right, he doing 72 in a 55 zone
Where you sit can depend on the model of the heli as well. The S300CBi mandates solo flight from the left seat due to balance issues as a result of where the fuel tank is located, IIRC. So each is different. Larger helis may not have this issue as much, and you CAN put the friction lock on the collective enough to let you let go, then stabilize the cyclic with your left hand while you use your right hand to mess with comm gear and instruments, etc.
That being said, in general: fixed wing = left seat, rotory = right seat. In the pic above, the TFO may be the gentleman in the left, or it could just be another empty seat for a body to fill.
Also, I'm not necessarily referring to a police heli. Any heli will do. I was merely stating that someday I'll be flying PIC in the right seat of a heli. An MD500E or MD530F would be nice, but I'd settle for any number of single or twin turbine birds (Bell 206, 407, 212, 412, BK117, EC-135, EC-145, etc. etc.). I'm not picky.
And LOL at the above comment regarding flying on the "wrong" side of the sky, haha!