Montgomery County cops want copters, but council says no
By: Alan Suderman
Examiner Staff Writer
July 17, 2009
The Montgomery County police department and some County Council members are at odds over whether the department needs -- and county taxpayers can afford -- two helicopters to do police work.
Police officials said helicopters would be a "vital" tool in their efforts to catch criminals and find missing people, and would reduce the risks of high-speed chases.
But council members are balking at the price tag of the long-term costs of staffing and operating the helicopters, which are projected at $7.9 million over five years.
"Now is not the time to add a helicopter unit," said Council President Phil Andrews, D-Gaithersburg/Rockville. "Whatever the merits may be."
Council members said the county, which is projected to face a $370 million budget shortfall next year, would have a hard time maintaining existing police programs next year. The council considered closing some police stations at night during the last budget sessions as a way of saving money.
"We need to focus our resources on keeping police officers on the street," said Council member Marc Elrich, D-at large.
Police officials said the county had a rare opportunity to obtain two hand-me-down Army OH-58 helicopters and turn them into functioning police helicopters with a "minimal" effect on the county's general fund for two years.
"The hardest thing here is to get the opportunity," said Capt. John Damskey, head of the department's traffic division, adding that the county has been on a wait list for used Army helicopters for years.
A federal grant and money seized from drug dealers would pay for helicopters during their first two years of county use, Damskey said, and the county already owns hangars to house the helicopters. After two years, Damskey said the county would aggressively look for other outside funds to cover the helicopters' costs, which are estimated to run at about $300 an hour.
County Executive Ike Leggett has expressed his support for obtaining the helicopters.
In a memo sent to the County Council, Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said the county was the only large jurisdiction in the area without an air unit and said the county couldn't always count on the generosity of other law enforcement agencies.
"It is a fact that other police aviation units are often not available when required and cannot be depended on to remain as long as we need them," Manger said.
Earlier this year two law enforcement agencies in Florida disbanded their departments' air units citing budget constraints, according to published accounts.
asuderman@washingtonexaminer.com
