Stanislaus County could spend $4.1 million replacing sheriff’s department helicopter
Stanislaus County could spend $4.1 million on the purchase and upgrades for a new Sheriff’s Department helicopter.
An agenda item before county supervisors Tuesday calls for purchasing a 2014 Bell 407GXP Helicopter to replace the sheriff department’s 1972 Bell Jet Ranger.
According to a county staff report, the 49-year-old Jet Ranger is less structurally sound these days and “presents many challenges due to its age.”
The proposed purchase will not replace the 1979 Bell aircraft that was damaged in a hard landing at Modesto airport in July 2017. The repairs and additional improvements for that aircraft ultimately cost more than $1 million.
If the item is approved Tuesday, the county will purchase the 6-year-old helicopter from a firm called 79ZA LLC of New York. The helicopter has a Rolls-Royce engine and has logged 4680 hours of flight.
A cost breakdown shows $1.9 million for the basic purchase. An additional $2.2 million will upgrade the helicopter for law enforcement service, with $250,000 for possible contingencies. Sheriff Jeff Dirkse was not immediately available for comment Monday.
To pay for the initial purchase, the Sheriff’s Department plans to use $1 million in funding from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, as well as legal weed funding or $905,000 from development agreements with licensed cannabis businesses.
The sheriff’s office is evaluating funding sources to come up with the $2.2 million for outfitting the aircraft, so it’s equipped for aerial patrols and rescue operations.
In an unlikely gift from the coronavirus pandemic, the sheriff’s agency received extra revenue from state corrections for delays in sending convicted inmates to prison. Inmates sentenced to prison were housed in the county jail for an extended time period, the staff report says.
The county Board of Supervisors will meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the basement chambers of Tenth Street Place, at 1010 10th St., Modesto.
This story was originally published June 7, 2021 at 2:24 PM.
