FONTANA, Calif. — The Fontana Police Department wants to buy two helicopters — for about $1.6 million – saying it can run a more responsive air patrol program for less money than what it is now paying a contractor.
The move comes at a time when many cities, caught in a financial squeeze, have been forced to end their aviation programs.
A few months ago, for example, Costa Mesa and Newport Beach terminated a longstanding joint helicopter patrol program.
"The program was extremely valuable for the department, but when it came down to the budget, tough decisions had to be made," said Kathy Lowe, information officer for the Newport Beach Police Department.
Police Chief Rodney Jones on Tuesday will ask city council's okay to use $500,000 in asset seizure funds to purchase an almost new Robinson R44 Police Edition helicopter for $415,000 and spend another $85,000 to install more advanced equipment on it.
Asset seizure funds are obtained during arrests in drug cases. One of the allowed uses of those funds is to purchase police aviation equipment, Jones said.
A new Robinson 44 equipped for police use costs more than $800,000, Jones said.
The used helicopter Fontana plans to buy has only 140 hours of flight time on it, Jones said.
Robinson Helicopter Co. of Torrance has recently developed a more powerful turbine engine model called the R66.
The first R66 Police Edition will be released in July 2012. Jones said he would also like to purchase one of those because it can fly with more weight. Its more powerful turbine engine will help it retain lift power during hot days, something which pilots in R44s must carefully monitor, he said.
The department will receive "financial incentives" for that purchase because it will be one first departments to buy one, Jones said. Even with those incentives, the helicopter will cost about $1.1 million.
Jones said he plans to tap the asset seizure fund to get a $300,000 downpayment on the R66 and take a fifteen year lease that will cost $72,000 annually.
The department would likely pay off the lease to own the helicopter out-right within three years. The source for lease payment and the helicopter's purchase would be asset money, Jones said.
Jones said he wants two helicopters because of the significant down-time needed for maintainance and overhauls.
Fontana Police Department has a helicopter contract with California Aviation Services of Riverside costing $497,250 per year.
CAS provides a R44 helicopter and its pilot while the Fontana Police department provides an officer as an observer.
Jones said the more powerful R66 would allow a third person in the cockpit, allowing its mission to include firefighting observation and command.
In situations where quick response is needed to a large fire, an observer from the fire department could accompany the police observer during flights, Jones said.
"The helicopter allows us to do more with less," Jones said.
"At a time of decreased staffing, the need for an aviation program can not be overstated. On average, the helicopter is first on the scene 66 percent of the time. On many calls, this alleviates the need for any type of patrol response," Jones said.
By owning its own helicopters, annual recurring costs from the general fund would amount to $489,333 annually, some $10,000 less than the $497,250 the city pays California Aviation Services, Jones said.
Cost could decrease significantly, he said, if Colton and Rialto decided they would want access to Fontana's air patrols in exchange for financial and personnel support.
"I like the concept," said City Councilman Michael Tahan. "It gives more resources to the police and frees up more officers on the ground."
"This use of seizure money gets a good benefit for our community," said Mayor Acquanetta Warren, who added that the speed of a helicopter is needed to get police across town in a hurry.
