One day in the future, Guilford County may have a helicopter.
The county may even have a fleet of county helicopters. However, at a Board of Commissioners budget work session on Thursday, May 25, the board reached a consensus that, at this time, the county did not need to purchase a helicopter, which can cost anywhere from $250,000 to a million or more.
The commissioners are still undecided, however, as to whether they will say yes to the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department’s request for a new plane to be used for law enforcement purposes. The Sheriff’s Department has a plane it has been using for searches, chases, finding drug fields and other purposes. However, that plane is old and needs to be replaced if the department is going to keep using one.
When Guilford County Budget Director Toy Beeninga was discussing budget requests from the Sheriff’s Department, he told the board that one request was “$300,000 for Special Operations Aerial Equipment,” and he moved on quickly to other items. After a moment the commissioners with confused looks on their faces asked Beeninga to go back to that item.
“Is it a drone?” one commissioner asked, while another asked, “Is it a whole airplane?”
Guilford County Manager Mike Halford explained that, years ago, the Sheriff’s Department went in with some surrounding counties and purchased a small plane and shared the cost of operating it each year.
Those other counties were pulling out of the arrangement and would not be sharing the cost of a new plane. Halford explained that the current plane needed to be grounded.
“That plane is coming to the end of engine life,” he told the board.
The question in the air remained as to why staff had not just said what the thing was.
Staff had been trying to avoid this moment and, rather than perpetuate the confusion, one county staff member explained, “We were asked not to use the word ‘plane,’ – but it is a small plane they would use to do reconnaissance. The plane is coming to the end of life and they would like to replace it with a small Cessna that they have identified.”
Commissioner James Upchurch, likely in jest, asked, “Would a helicopter be cheaper?”
Staff informed the commissioners that a helicopter would in fact not be cheaper, and the commissioners showed no interest in purchasing a county helicopter at this time, so the discussion went back to the department’s request for a new plane.
Commissioner Mary Beth Murphy suggested to staff that they should bring some more information about the uses of the plane as well a cost-benefit analysis.
Commissioner Pat Tillman began to recommend contacting the other counties to have them consider sharing the cost that but then realized that wasn’t going to happen since they had already decided not to participate anymore in the program, which also requires operating money each year along with maintenance and upkeep.
The fact that other counties were backing out of the aerial program seemed to make an impression on several commissioners, so the department may not get a shiny new plane this year, and certainly will not get a helicopter.
There’s no way I’m supporting the proposed budget or a new plane. It’s going to be an interesting few weeks.
The aircraft is an excellent tool for law enforcement. You should research the federal funding and grants available be making an uninformed, unintelligible decision.
Perhaps our local govt can buy a helicopter for Skip-the-Hyp. A getaway just for fun, or if needed.
More smoke and mirrors. You voted for them and they proved, again, they are deceiving county tax payers. What else?
The rest of the story. The plane in question was actually a gift to the Sheriff’s office from the government for the excellent work done by the Sheriff’s office pilots during my administration. Our deputies were used as an example for other agencies across the nation and went to other locations at the request of the government to teach them how it was done. I formed a partnership with Alamance, Randolph, Davidson and Rockingham, surrounding counties to form the air unit and share in cost. The money used to share expenses was money taken from drug dealers, not tax dollars. Each county did the same. Each provided pilots and cost sharing. The plane was used for surveillance and drug arrest, child, fugitive and elderly searches. It saved lives, helped deter crime and was a positive tool for law enforcement.
A helicopter is cost prohibitive,, probably four or more times more expensive then the Sheriff’s office plane. The Sheriff’s office plane had a Rotax engine which runs off car gas, making it’s operation much cheaper. Rebuilding the engine or buying a new one for the plane is less 50K, but the Sheriff is asking 400K for a new plane. Doubt it will happen. The program was a celebrated while I was Sheriff. This program did not get the support it needed after I left and like the Rapid DNA program which was the envy of every other law enforcement agency in the country will now fall to the way side. Who suffers, the victims of crime and our citizens. Leadership and vision go hand in hand, lack of them, they don’t. Take heart, we do have pretty sheriffs cars and new badges. My prayers for the public and the officers.
Thanks for the inside scoop. And your work as Sheriff.
“the board reached a consensus that, at this time, the county did not need to purchase a helicopter, which can cost anywhere from $250,000 to a million or more.” Thank goodness for that. And for a little more perspective, please note that the helicopter pictured herein carries a price tag of $5.7 million new. A helicopter that can be purchased for $250,000 is either barely more than a toy, or is completely run out. In either or any other case, that is just the beginning. Throw in maintenance, engine, airframe, and rotor replacement funds, pilot training, recurrent pilot training, insurance, fuel, hangar costs, liability, etc., etc., etc. There is no end to the costs involved in aircraft ownership. Prestige is the only reason that Guilford or any other county in this state could possibly want to own a helicopter, or even a light fixed wing aircraft. There is no way to justify the expense and liability of a county-owned aircraft, as–I might point out–all the other counties have already figured out. Need a helicopter or light aircraft for justifiable county or municipal use, just charter one by the hour. Then you will see the actual cost of flight in one tidy little number–that includes all the costs noted above divided into a per hour figure. Ownership does not reduce the overall per hour cost of flying–if anything, it increases the cost. And complicates the accounting and politics involved. Just say no. Aircraft ownership by the county cannot be justified.
Can they not call the state or the ncng if they need help
?
Or use drones?