New Police Helicopters Used by Chief for Trip
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When vacationing Long Beach Police Chief Lawrence L. Binkley had to return to the city for a retirement dinner last month, he made sure the trip was a quick one. He was transported back and forth between Paso Robles and Long Beach in the department’s two brand new, $600,000 patrol helicopters. He flew north in one and flew back in the other.
City Manager James C. Hankla said that while Binkley did not consult him about the use of the helicopters, “I probably would have approved it given the set of circumstances. I don’t consider this personal use.”
Hankla said the helicopters, delivered Aug. 23, were still in a shakedown period and that the trip up the coast provided valuable cross-country training for the pilots and testing of the helicopter’s navigational systems. The city’s old helicopters remained in Long Beach and were available for patrol use, Hankla added.
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