State Budget Opens Door For Stockton Police Helicopter
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – Gov. Jerry Brown signed $3 million over to Stockton in the final state budget to get the city a new helicopter.
"This was something my staff and I have been working on for well over five years, if not longer—the need for a helicopter in the city of Stockton to be able to assist on things like vehicle pursuit, missing persons calls," said Police Chief Eric Jones.
Critics say it could've been a major tool in one of the worst days in Stockton Police history. A 2014 bank robbery turned into a rolling gun battle that left a hostage dead.
An independent investigation found one of the most significant setbacks was a lack of air support, critical to tracking suspects.
"We don't know if it would've changed the results of that day, but it was a tool we did not have," Jones added.
Which is why lobbyists tried to change that.
"We are hoping to cut down on those things, have a much quicker response in the situations, finding people, stopping the high-speed chases, interfering with gang activity when we need to," said Assemblywoman Susan Eggman of Stockton.
The chief said Stockton is one of the largest cities where nowhere there is no police copter in the entire county.
Currently, they call the California Highway Patrol for help from Auburn or Fresno.
"Both of those take at least a half hour to 45 minutes to be able to arrive on the scene and in a crisis or emergency that's 45 minutes too long," said Eggman.
For several years the city looked at purchasing a police helicopter or airplane, but the costs were just too high.
But now the new state budget signed by Governor Brown includes $3 million dedicated to getting the city a helicopter. Jones says it can help assist with block searches, missing people, and high-speed chases.
"It's very important for us to have that ability to have that aircraft as an additional resource or tool," he said.
But some are concerned about the ongoing operational expense.
So how much does a police helicopter cost?
The purchase price for a copter equipped for patrol is up to $1.6 million. It costs on average about $600 an hour to operate. To have it in the air seven days a week would be $800,000 a year.
It may seem like a sky-high price, but Jones says it's essential.
"When you look at the many things it can provide for us we actually think it's well worth the cost," Jones said.
It could take several months before they officially get air ops in the sky. They'll have to hire new pilots and narrow down which helicopter to buy.