Thread: TX-Donated plane to give sheriff eyes in the sky

Donated plane to give sheriff eyes in the sky
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By LIZ AUSTIN PETERSON Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Sept. 23, 2008, 3:30PM
The Harris County Sheriff's Office soon could begin patrolling by air in a plane donated by a local talk radio host's anti-illegal immigration group.
Commissioners Court voted today to accept the donation, worth an estimated $90,000.

Chief Deputy Danny Billingsley long has wanted to re-establish the county's air patrol unit, which was disbanded in the late 1970s amid budget constraints and tension between Commissioners Court and then-Sheriff Jack Heard.
While some court members questioned whether helicopters might be more suited for the patrol job than a fixed-wing airplane, the department said the donation from Eyes on the Border was a chance to jumpstart a program that could be expanded later.
``In an ideal world a helicopter probably would have come first, but this is a gift,'' said County Judge Ed Emmett, who originally expressed skepticism about the donation, but voted to accept it after being assured the plane would be part of a larger air unit. ``It's a pretty good deal.''
Commissioner Sylvia Garcia cast the lone no vote, saying she had not been given enough information about how much it would cost to fuel, insure, store, staff and maintain the plane.
The sheriff's office has projected a $189,000 annual operating cost for the single-engine, four-seater plane. However the study that reached that conclusion included few concrete details.
``I think this whole idea is still half baked,'' she said.
The donation first appeared on the court's Sept. 9 agenda, but a vote was delayed amid questions about the donor's requirement that Harris County lend the plane and its crew to the Border Sheriffs' Coalition up to four times a year for two or three days.
Eyes on the Border founder Edd Hendee agreed to drop that stipulation after the sheriff told him it could be an impediment.
Hendee founded Eyes on the Border in 2006 to raise money for a plane that would help the sheriffs of four rural South Texas counties fight drug and human smuggling. He said he decided to donate the aircraft to Harris County after the rural sheriffs told him they could not afford to maintain the plane or devote deputies to support its missions because they had not gotten as much federal and state funding as expected.
The talk radio host and restaurateur said he wanted to promote cooperation between Harris County law enforcement and border sheriffs and believes that will happen with or without the requirement.
The sheriff's office has been studying the best way to start an air patrol for several years, spokesman Deputy David Crain said. Grant money is available to buy helicopters, but most of the programs require applicants to already have established air units.
The department had an air unit with three helicopters and about 17 employees until the late 1970s.
In its request to accept the donated plane, the sheriff's office provided commissioners with more than a dozen ways the 1993 Maule MXT-7-180 aircraft would help patrol, from reducing vehicle theft and burglary to deterring street narcotic and gang activity.
The county can seek help from the Houston Police Department's air unit on a case-by-case basis, Crain said, but that would not have the same impact as routine patrols.
HPD's 47-person unit includes four patrol helicopters, three training helicopters and a small fixed-wing aircraft, Capt. Tom Runyan said. City Council recently approved plans to expand the unit to 13 patrol helicopters and 90 employees. The unit expects to spend about $1.9 million this fiscal year on fuel, parts, maintenance, tools and supplies.
In July alone, the unit helped officers on the ground catch fleeing suspects five times and found a stolen car and a stranded boat, Runyan added.
liz.peterson@chron.com


http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6018224.html

Commissioner Sylvia Garcia cast the lone no vote, saying she had not been given enough information about how much it would cost to fuel, insure, store, staff and maintain the plane.

Less than a caravan of SUVS patrolling small sections of the border.