Sheriff Wants to Replace County’s Helicopters

Sheriff Brad Gates wants to spend more than $4 million to replace the county’s two aging helicopters with new ones.

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will consider the plan, which also calls for the Sheriff’s Department to lease a third chopper for 10 months so the county has an aircraft available during the transition.

Sheriff’s officials said it’s more cost-effective to purchase new helicopters than continue to pay the upkeep and maintenance of the 11-year-old choppers, which each have more than 12,000 hours of flight time.

“The old helicopters have reached the point where we are going to have to pour a lot of money into them to keep them airworthy,” said Assistant Sheriff Denis LaDucer. “Replacing them is more cost-effective and safe.”

One of the two choppers will require $120,000 in mechanical repairs in the next few months if it is not replaced, LaDucer added.

Under Gates’ proposal, the county would sell the existing helicopters and receive the new ones over the next year. It would also lease a used craft for use until the new choppers arrive, at a cost not to exceed $600,000.

The total cost of the conversion is $3.5 million, plus about $750,000 in interest costs.

Before the supervisors consider the purchase, it must be approved by the Public Finance Advisory Committee at a meeting today.

At an earlier hearing, some committee members questioned why the Sheriff’s Department wanted to finance the helicopters over seven years rather than pay for them with cash, avoiding the hefty interest payments.

LaDucer said purchasing the helicopters outright would prevent the department from funding other projects, such as increasing the number of jail beds.

The new McDonnell Douglas helicopters would be used both for law enforcement activities and for dropping water during fires.