Columbus OKs $6 million police helicopter purchase
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- An aging Columbus Police helicopter fleet is set to get an upgrade that comes with a big price tag.
Columbus City Council has approved nearly $6 million to purchase two new helicopters for the department. The Columbus Division of Police uses its helicopter fleet to assist with chases, grab video of crimes from above, or help the Columbus Division of Fire understand a scene from above.
Now, there will be more consistency with CPD’s helicopter response.
"We have a very small downtown, but a very big city, so it allows it to be a force multiplier," Columbus Deputy Police Chief Robert Sagle said.
The purchase will raise the department’s number of helicopters to five.
"We have an average response time of 1.5 minutes anywhere in a city and we're first on scene over 2,000 times every year, which means it's eyes on a scene," Sagle said.
Sagle said that about 50% of the time, the helicopters are the first to arrive at a scene.
Columbus City Council has approved $5,940,233 for the purchase; the money comes from the capital budget, not the general fund.
The newest helicopter was purchased in 2012. The oldest in the fleet, nearing 20 years old, will be replaced.
"With the reduced fleet over the last several years, we're flying less hours, which impacts all the citizens and the officers on the street because we can't produce the same effectiveness that we can with our full fleet,” Sagle said. “The five helicopters allows us to rotate them in and out of maintenance more often.”
CPD has put together a ten-year plan to replace every helicopter in the fleet, as parts become more expensive and harder to come by.
"This will make sure that we're able to fly a regular mission across our city on a consistent basis,” Columbus City Councilmember Emmanuel Remy said. “Our maintenance costs are going to go lower. We're going to be able to fly higher. And it's going to be less noise over the city of Columbus.”
The new helicopters are expected to be delivered in December, fully outfitted and ready to hit the sky.
Remy also shared that CPD has agreed to a five-helicopter cap. As part of the agreement, the police department agrees to fly over major roadways instead of neighborhoods to reduce noise pollution as well as using the helicopters when they are most needed.
This compromise came a number of years ago after complaints from the community.