Peoria leaders spent $3.5 million on a Bell 505 helicopter, promising it would enhance public safety, speed up emergency response, and assist in search-and-rescue operations.
Yet when a 20-year-old man went missing in north Peoria, the city’s helicopter was nowhere to be found — it was on display at a corporate trade show in Dallas, Texas.
Instead of utilizing the aviation unit Peoria residents were told would be a “force multiplier” for emergency response, the city had to rely on outside agencies, including the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office drones and mounted search teams, the Phoenix Firebird helicopter, and even Arizona Department of Corrections bloodhounds to assist in the search. Four days later, the young man remains missing.
This raises serious concerns: If the helicopter was so essential, why wasn’t it available for an emergency? And if we already depend on county and state resources for aerial support, why did Peoria spend millions of taxpayer dollars on it in the first place?
To make matters worse, Peoria residents were originally told the aviation unit’s operational costs would be “no more than $1 million per year”—but the actual budget for the unit has skyrocketed to $3.4 million. Meanwhile, the helicopter has been used frequently for PR events, including circling overhead at a toy drive personally put on by Mayor Jason Beck.
Public safety should never take a backseat to corporate sponsorships and political photo ops. If Peoria’s aviation unit truly exists to serve residents, then Peoria leaders need to answer a simple question:
Where was our helicopter when we needed it most?
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