For a city that has a police force of less than 300, why do we need such an expensive toy for the city?
Having worked with Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office for more than 10 years, I have seen that helicopters are expensive to manage and maintain, and even when called into action have a very limited time in the air.
MCSO and other departments have now gone to drones, which are far more effective and less costly. They can be in the air immediately on the scene, and there’s really no safety issues when flying. They are even more stealthy than a noisy helicopter overhead, by providing another advantage when silently chasing bad guys on the ground.
I would rather have seen our resources gone to drones and drone pilots or more boots on the ground (police officers).
I have to say that I think our current mayor has made some fairly controversial moves since being elected. Getting rid of a lot of tenured department heads that were running city operations effectively was a mistake. I truly believe this will affect and erode our city government in the long run.
Thanks for your accuracy and candor in your recent article.
