Baltimore police helicopters were back in the air yesterday for the first time since a 1998 fatal crash grounded the unit.
The city's new police helicopters - sleek, black $1.4 million Eurocopter EC-120s - will allow officers to follow stolen cars from the air and conduct surveillance of drug dealers. The first of four new helicopters purchased by the city lifted off the tarmac at Martin State Airport in Middle River about 4 p.m. after a one-hour ceremony.
"I got goose bumps," said Police Commissioner Edward T. Norris just after the copter flew off.
Each of the department's new American Eurocopter Corp. EC-120s will be outfitted with cameras that use infrared and zoom lenses. By year's end, images from the cameras will be able to be beamed to commanders and others on the ground.
The copters also will have computers that can pinpoint the locations of stolen cars on the streets below.
Police officials said the copters will improve the safety of officers and residents because they can track stolen cars from the air, preventing high-risk car chases. Observers in the copters also will be able to alert officers to potential danger around corners, using both the spotlights and the infrared technology, police said.
"The work that the helicopter unit does is lifesaving work," said Mayor Martin O'Malley. "We needed to get these helicopters back in the air."
Eurocopter delivered two EC-120s last week and is expected to deliver two more by September, police officials said. The copters, which can carry up to five people, will eventually fly between 9 a.m. and 2 a.m., police said.
The copters can fly about 145 mph and can stay airborne for about three or four hours, said Lt. Robert R. Richards, head of the helicopter unit.
The copters, built in Canada, will cost about $1.3 million a year to maintain, police said.
Police grounded the helicopter unit after Flight Officer Barry W. Wood died in the crash in November 1998 of a two-seat Schweizer. The department leased the craft from Helicopter Transport Services at Martin State Airport.
The National Transportation Safety Board ruled that the crash was caused by a poorly manufactured engine on the aircraft. The board also cited Helicopter Transport Services for using discarded parts in an engine overhaul.
Police named one of the new helicopters after Wood, whose widow, Martha, attended yesterday's ceremony. Martha Wood said her husband had admired the Eurocopter. "He would be thrilled," she said about the new aircraft.
Officer Mark A. Keller, who was seriously injured in that crash, flew on the Eurocopter's first official flight over the city yesterday.
"It was an important flight for me," said Keller, who is now an officer in the Southeastern District. "I wanted to do this for Barry."
