City May Quit Police Helicopter Program

Police Chief Ronald E. Lowenberg will recommend to the City Council on Monday that Huntington Beach withdraw from a regional police helicopter program, he and other officials said this week.

“We’re not getting the financial benefits anticipated,” City Administrator Michael T. Uberuaga said.

In August 1993, the council signed an agreement to join Costa Mesa and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department to form the area’s first regional helicopter unit, known as AirBorne Law Enforcement Services, or ABLE. Newport Beach joined the program later that year.

Lowenberg said that for Huntington Beach, the program has been an operational success, but has “not been successful from a cost standpoint. . . . Our goal was to save money, but it didn’t offset expenses.”

The Sheriff’s Department may also withdraw from ABLE, officials said, though they would not comment further. A news conference has been set for next Thursday to announce changes in the venture.

Newport Beach Police Sgt. John Desmond said he and his department anticipate that the county and Huntington Beach will leave ABLE, so they are reviewing the program with the hope of continuing it with Costa Mesa.

“We believe that combining resources can be cost-effective,” Desmond said. “We’ve committed to the program, and we want to continue it.”

Costa Mesa police officials could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

One of the main reasons for ABLE’s formation was to reduce operating costs for the participating agencies by offering helicopter services to other Orange County cities. The proceeds from that service were projected to offset most operating costs, Lowenberg said.

What happened, however, was that many cities that lack helicopter service and were expected to contract with ABLE did not do so, officials said.

The program, Uberuaga said, was “contingent with other cities buying services. We were covering a large area without the revenue to support the service.”

“Unless everyone buys into the program, it doesn’t work,” he said.