BURBANK/GLENDALE : Police Copter Unit Now Has Permanent Base

After years of being cooped up in rented hangars and even a trailer with no running water, the officers who fly the whirlybirds of Glendale and Burbank’s joint police helicopter unit finally have a nest of their own.

More than 100 police, city officials and dignitaries attended dedication ceremonies Thursday for the Burbank/Glendale Police Air Support Facility, a new 13,300-square-foot hangar at the northwest corner of the Burbank Airport.

The facility will house the two cities’ combined fleet of four modern, low-noise McDonnell Douglas copters, plus a combined staff of nine officer pilots and two mechanics, headed by two sergeants.

Officials said the two-city project, which has been in the works since 1991, will boost law enforcement efforts and save money.

“We’re doubling the air time over our cities without increasing our costs,” said Burbank Police Chief David Newsham. Burbank and Glendale each budget for 1,500 hours of flight time per year, and by combining forces, he said, the two units will provide backup to each other.

Glendale was the first of the two cities to establish a helicopter unit, purchasing an old Bell-47 helicopter in 1972. The Glendale-Burbank joint air unit was originally formed in 1979, when the cities used a federal grant to buy three Hughes 300C helicopters.

It operated on land near the airport leased from the city of Los Angeles, with a trailer for its headquarters, officials said.

That arrangement lasted until 1988, when Burbank bought a fleet of quieter turbine helicopters and the pact split up. Since then, Burbank has been flying out of leased hangar space at the Burbank Airport. The Glendale unit has been leasing space at the airport since 1991.

Glendale Police Chief James Anthony said the two cities decided to recombine their air units and find a permanent home for them in 1991, just as Glendale was readying to purchase its own pair of modern police helicopters.

“Together we are able to provide more flights and respond to more calls for service,” Anthony said. “The result is a safer environment for our citizens.”

In addition to the hangar, the facility includes seven landing pads on the apron area, a training room, a mechanics shop, a generator and a small kitchen facility enabling the helicopter units to be self-sufficient and operational 24 hours a day during emergencies.

Fire Department helicopters can also be filled with water on the site in the event of brush fires. The air station was built on land that is being leased from the Burbank Airport under a 30-year contract. The two cities split the cost of construction, with Glendale paying its share with capital-improvement funds and Burbank using drug forfeiture money.

“You hear so much talk these days about cooperation, but this is something that has really come to fulfillment,” Burbank Mayor Bill Wiggins said.