City OKs Financing for LAPD Copters
The Los Angeles Police Department will be receiving new helicopters to replace three aging aircraft in its fleet as a result of City Council action this week.
The council on Wednesday approved a 1995-96 municipal bond program that included $4.8 million for the replacement of three helicopters, according to Karen Constine, chief deputy to Councilwoman Laura Chick.
Chick proposed that funds to replace these aging aircraft be included in the bond program and proposed that city staff develop a helicopter replacement program as well.
Last year, Chick learned that several police helicopters were growing old and had exceeded the recommended number of flight hours.
While these aircraft still met Federal Aviation Administration requirements, they were spending too much time being repaired.
“The LAPD air support division provides a critical service to all of Los Angeles,” said Chick, who chairs the council’s Public Safety Committee. “This expansive city has a lot of ground to cover, and we require reliable equipment to ensure that the city’s public safety needs have been met.”
The three new helicopters are expected to be in service by mid-1996. The LAPD’s air support division assists in pursuing suspects over the city’s 303,000 acres.
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