Lawmen May Give Joint Copter Patrols a Whirl : Tactics: Two cities and the Sheriff’s Department study whether they can cover more territory at less cost by combining chopper units.

An expansion of police helicopter service may be coming to the county, and it may cost less than present service.

Officials of three law enforcement agencies with separate helicopter services are studying whether a consolidation of operations could save tax money and extend coverage to cities without aerial police units.

The study was commissioned by the County Sheriff’s Department and Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach, whose police joined air operations with the sheriff’s as a test last fall and were pleased with the results.

“This is an old idea, actually,” said Sgt. Gary Brooks, head of Huntington Beach’s unit, which operates three copters. “It’s just been resurrected.”

The three agencies are paying for a $27,000 study by the Allan Consulting Group, which began in December. Brooks said a report is expected about mid-April.

Capt. David Brooks, head of Costa Mesa’s copter unit--and no relation to Gary Brooks--said the study will cover many things besides economic feasibility.

“One of the big things (involved in the study) is how do you blend three agencies--two of them municipalities and one of them county--to make one entity and still provide service to all three on an equal basis?” David Brooks said. “We all have different assets.”

Other problems to be resolved would be command structure, methods, hours and geographical limit.

But cost is a major factor. Helicopter units are not cheap. The annual price tag for the two-helicopter sheriff’s unit is about $900,000. Huntington Beach’s three-copter unit costs about $1.3 million a year, and Costa Mesa’s two-copter force about $1.7 million annually.

Costs vary because of personnel and degree of service. Costa Mesa’s $1.7-million cost is reduced by a $200,000 annual contract for service to neighboring Santa Ana.

Other cities have explored starting a helicopter force, but costs for buying choppers and related expenses have been too high.

David Brooks said if a regional force is launched, cities not having such service could “buy into” the new operation. Cities could decide how much helicopter service they want, and they would then buy part of the regional force, Brooks said.

“Cities that don’t have air service would come in and buy X-amount of the entity,” he said. “We’d say the entity costs this much, you want this much service, so this is what it would cost--this is how much it would cost for the piece of the pie you are buying.”

The renewed interest in consolidated copter service comes more than 22 years after a county grand jury urged such a combined force to extend service and save money.

In its December, 1970, report, the jury said: “All communities in the county would profit from a centralized approach to helicopter service, and all cities should have regular access to this modern approach to law enforcement.”

When that report was issued, the county was just moving into the police helicopter age. Huntington Beach in 1969 became the first police force in the county to add a helicopter unit. Costa Mesa and Anaheim police launched their forces in 1970. In subsequent years, Newport Beach and the Sheriff’s Department also started units.

Anaheim and Newport Beach are not involved in the current study, but the cities “are not opposed to a regional (helicopter) force,” Gary Brooks said. “They want to wait and see what comes out in the (consultant’s) report.”

The experiment last fall with helicopters from Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa and the Sheriff’s Department lasted for three months.

“We looked at our capability, and we decided that together we could cover an area from Seal Beach to San Clemente along the coast, and as far inland as the city of Orange,” David Brooks said. The cities in that geographic area--including Garden Grove, Los Alamitos and Laguna Beach--all got free police helicopter service during the trial period.

Officers involved in the test said it went smoothly and proved that a unified force is workable.

Officials of agencies with helicopters said they are great assets, and for more reasons than aiding law enforcement.

County officials noted that it was a sheriff’s helicopter that flew into Caspers Wilderness Regional Park in 1986 and rushed 5-year-old Laura Small to a hospital after she had been mauled by a mountain lion.

“Our helicopters have a multitude of uses,” said Lt. Bob Rivas, a spokesman for the Sheriff’s Department. “They’ve been used to spot fires, make water drops and to rescue people. In law enforcement, helicopters are quickly on the scene and able to follow suspects.”

Helicopters provide an extra dimension to law enforcement, Gary Brooks said. “We can go from one end of the city to another in one minute, and we have great scanning capabilities. We help with traffic problems, and we can lead officers on the ground to suspects, such as DUI.

“We even have infrared technology that can spot people at night, such as prowlers, through the body heat they generate,” he said.

At times, the copters can even help prevent crime, authorities said.

“It’s hard to evaluate how much crime prevention air service provides, but we know it’s a fact,” David Brooks said. “Helicopters often see things first. We see crimes about to happen, and we prevent it.”

Where Police Choppers Patrol

Many areas of Orange County are not served by police helicopters. Only Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Anaheim and the unincorporated parts of the county are covered by full-time police chopper units. Santa Ana contracts with Costa Mesa for nighttime chopper service and some service during day hours, according to special needs.

Source: Individual jurisdictions