Police Helicopter Unit Falls Victim To Budget Woes

A five-month budget battle ended in Topeka, Kansas Tuesday night with funding for the city's police helicopter unit cut to zero, which allowed city leaders to balance the budget while reducing the property tax rate.

Councilman Bob Archer told television station WIBW that voters were "clamoring" for no property tax increase, and the budget passed Tuesday made that possible. Police Chief Ronald Miller had been vigorously defending the program, but his department was facing a 10 percent budget cut. "I know these are austere times, but you get the law enforcement that you pay for," he told the station.

The helicopter unit was established in 1971. According to the city web site, the division flew one Robinson R44 II and a Schweizer 300C. In 1992, through public support, the Topeka Police Department was the first law enforcement agency in Kansas to install a Forward Looking InfraRed (FLIR) camera on a helicopter. This piece of equipment allows the helicopter crew to see in the dark without using the searchlight.

Schweizer 300C File Photo

Crews flew an average of 1,500 hours of flight time each year with an normal response time of 89 seconds. The unit had about 6,800 activities last year which resulted in 95 felony arrests and 156 misdemeanor arrests.

FMI: www.topeka.org