Sheriff announces new aviation addition

Published 5:45 am Thursday, April 12, 2018

The Limestone County Sheriff’s Office obtained a new helicopter Tuesday to replace the one currently used by the agency.

Deputy Stephen Young said Wednesday the old helicopter was nearing its limit on flyable hours, so the agency applied for a grant to replace it through the 1033 program. The federal program allows certain military items to be made available for civilian law enforcement.

Through the program, Young said the sheriff’s office obtained three helicopters — one for flying and two for parts. Young said the current helicopter will also be used for parts.

Anything not used will be returned to the Defense Logistics Agency, a division of which helps the Department of Defense dispose of surplus equipment.

“Anything you get on 1033, you can’t sell,” Young said. “There are some ways you can transfer to other agencies, but usually you turn it back in.”

The “new” helicopter is a 1971 Model C, about the same age as the previous helicopter but with many more flying hours remaining, Young said.

The sheriff’s office averages about 30 hours per year in flight and could get as many as 10 years out of the new bird, Young said.

“It takes a while to build up hours,” he said. “You think about it — all these little stings we’ve gone on with fugitives, and when we have to helicopter up, it might be in the air for 45 minutes.”

The helicopters are also used to assist other counties and for search and rescue operations. Young said these uses helped justify getting the grant.

“Justification is a big deal,” Young said. “For us, that’s having neighboring counties we can assist with the program and having experienced pilots at no cost to the agency who can operate these things professionally.”

The Limestone sheriff’s website lists three deputies as pilots in the agency’s aviation division. Young said as reserve or volunteer pilots, they are no additional cost to the agency.

Between the grant, proceeds from the Limestone County Sheriff’s Rodeo and pistol permit sales, the new aircraft will also be free for taxpayers, Young said. Furthermore, the rodeo and pistol permits will cover upkeep.

“They do a lot of other stuff,” Young said of the rodeo and pistol permit proceeds, “but they basically cover all the cost of operating the aircraft.”

Photos of the new helicopter are available at @LimestoneSheriffsOfficeAL on Facebook and @LimestoneCoSO on Twitter. The Limestone County Sheriff’s Rodeo will take place May 18 and 19 this year.