The Baltimore Police Department is poised to relaunch its helicopter unit in the next six months, using as many as five $1 million aircraft from American Eurocopter to rebuild a fleet that was grounded by a fatal crash more than two years ago.
But the city has yet to find the money. Police Commissioner Edward T. Norris said last week that he is awaiting word from City Hall to get the Foxtrot helicopter program back in the air, which would cost an estimated $2 million a year in maintenance and salaries.
Norris recently met with top U.S. Justice Department officials to ask for money to hire 500 additional officers and to help fund the helicopter unit. He said at a news conference last week he has heard nothing back. Police officials are in the process of hiring six pilots - they have two already - and a maintenance crew. The department plans to lease a hangar at Martin State Airport in Middle River.
Officials at American Eurocopter headquarters in Grand Prairie, Texas, have declined to comment, saying they will avoid public discussion until they sign a contract with Baltimore. Last year, the city considered buying aircraft from a chief competitor, Bell Helicopter Textron Inc., but Norris said officials have now concluded that Eurocopter is the only company that can provide what they want.
The company, a subsidiary of Aerospatiale and Daimler-Chrysler Aerospace, sells a wide variety of civilian and military helicopters. The EC-120s Baltimore officials want to purchase would be equipped with modern surveillance cameras, video cameras and night-vision devices - along with other technological aids police refuse to discuss. Officials said the helicopters are among the quietest commercially available.
"The criminals won't even know we're there," said Lt. Robert Richards, who will command the new unit.
Grounded flights
Police are eager to start flying again, saying helicopters are invaluable crime-fighting tools and offer protection for officers. They also help reduce the number of dangerous police chases, which have led to several crashes this year, because the cruisers can back off and let the helicopter follow from above.
Once in the air, city helicopters would fly continuously from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. For the past two years, city officers have relied on help from the state police or Baltimore County police when helicopters were needed, such as during last month's search for a suspect in the slaying of a state trooper.
