ANKENY, Ia. - A patrol helicopter has been on area law enforcement’s wish list for a long time, but the costs of running a police chopper are prohibitive.
Now, the Des Moines Police Department is considering sharing the benefits and costs of a helicopter with other area law enforcement agencies.
“Certainly, if we could do it in a ‘metro’ kind of a way, we could spread the costs out amongst a bunch of people. And it would also be a benefit to not only the City of Des Moines, but the surrounding areas of the whole county,” said Maj. Craig Zubrod, of the Des Moines Police Department.
It’s been nearly 30 years since Des Moines police had a helicopter. The department operated one in 1973, but they dropped it from service just two years later when the money to maintain the chopper was shifted to buy portable radios for street patrol officers.
A helicopter “allows us to patrol areas of the city you can’t see from the ground driving around on the road,” said Sgt. Brent Harris, of the Des Moines Police Dept. He flew helicopters in the military, and he’d like to fly one as a police officer.
“We can see people down in those areas, from a burglar to somebody creating some type of criminal mischief. So it’s overwhelmingly an asset,” he said.
A helicopter like this can cost a half-million dollars up front, before regular maintenance and running costs. So area police departments are considering sharing a chopper.
The Cedar Rapids Police Department has used a police helicopter for a number of years, having acquired it through a military surplus program.
KCCI Chief Meteorologist John McLaughlin, a helicopter owner and licensed instructor, said the up-front costs of a military surplus helicopter would be much lower, but the long-term costs, are much higher.