Santa Ana : Council Cool on Idea of Buying Police Copters

A plan to buy police helicopters for Santa Ana arose again this week, but it got little support from most of the City Council.

Councilman John Acosta, citing the city’s gang violence and drug traffic, proposed sharing the use and cost of two helicopters operated by the Sheriff’s Department. Acosta said criminals would be less apt to commit burglaries or drive-by shootings if they know that there is “an eye-in-the-sky” on patrol.

But the only hint of support for such a plan came from Vice Mayor P. Lee Johnson, who said he has discussed the possibility of a tri-city helicopter program with officials from Garden Grove and Fountain Valley.

Police Chief Raymond C. Davis said the money that would be spent on helicopters would be more wisely invested in additional ground-based gang-detail officers who could “gather intelligence and identify the (drive-by) shooters.” Davis said he does not consider helicopters useful in narcotics operations.

Santa Ana’s compact shape makes it less crucial to have a helicopter program than in sprawling cities such as Anaheim, Newport Beach and Huntington Beach, Davis said. The beach cities, he said, have bodies of water and large stretches of sand that must be traversed quickly. Anaheim has odd borders, such as those in Anaheim Hills, that are difficult to reach quickly in cars, he added.

“The decision is ‘do we need more ground troops or do we need an air force?’ ” said Mayor Dan Griset. He said the proposal has been made and rejected before and then referred it to the council’s public safety subcommittee. Acosta pledged to bring up the subject again.