January 13, 2006
Hawthorne Police Chopper's Wings are Clipped
One of the most sophisticated crime fighters in a city battling vice and violence has been called off the chase and sent to wait in a plain Hawthorne hangar.
Police call it Air Five-Five, a sleek helicopter that can race to the scene at 140 mph and spot suspects hiding in shrubs or shadows. It has a Hawthorne badge painted on its fuselage, but it answers calls across the South Bay.
Hawthorne has grounded the helicopter in recent days in an effort to save money and shore up its budget. The city has no immediate plans to send the chopper back up, despite an internal police report detailing its value and a new willingness by other cities to help pay for it.
Crew chief Mark Galoustian learned over the weekend that the helicopter had been sidelined. The night before, it had thundered over the San Diego (405) Freeway in pursuit of a fleeing car.
"We were heroes. I mean, that's what this helicopter's for," Galoustian said. "And then, the next morning, they told us we were shut down."
Hawthorne bought the helicopter for $450,000 in 2001. It has since loaded tens of thousands of dollars in mapping and recording systems, searchlights and radios on board with the help of federal grants.
The chopper answered nearly 1,000 calls last year, swooping over parties that had spun out of control or watching for drunken drivers from 700 feet above. Police attributed 99 arrests to the helicopter in 2005, according to department statistics.
Air Five-Five remains the only helicopter dedicated to the South Bay. Not long ago, it helped find kayakers lost off the coast of Manhattan Beach, according to an internal police report sent to the city manager. It answered a robbery call at a Torrance restaurant fast enough to catch the suspect walking out the front door.
The helicopter has contributed to an 8 percent drop in serious crime in Hawthorne since 2004, according to the police report. "It would seem shortsighted to dismantle a valuable program," the report concluded.
The chopper "is worth its weight in gold," Lt. Tom Jester said. "It will immediately be missed. Immediately."
Other South Bay cities have been reluctant in the past to help Hawthorne pay the cost of keeping the helicopter in the air. But that has changed in the past few months.
The cities of Manhattan Beach, El Segundo and Torrance have agreed to contribute $10,000 a year toward the helicopter program, according to the police report. The city of Inglewood has talked about doing the same.
South Bay cities will have to rely more on helicopter coverage from other agencies, such as the Los Angeles police and the sheriff's office, as long as Hawthorne's chopper stays on the ground.
That helicopter would "constantly help us locate suspects and vehicles," said Sgt. Steve Tobias of Manhattan Beach. "(It's) been extremely useful."
But Hawthorne is struggling to keep its budget in balance. City leaders talked last year about grounding the helicopter program and putting its roughly $246,000 annual cost to another use but decided to keep it aloft.
At the time, though, they committed to only six months of flights, said City Manager Richard Prentice, himself a retired police captain. Those six months have come and gone, he said, and the city still needs to find money to balance its main budget. The soaring cost of the helicopter's jet fuel hasn't helped.
Prentice said he made the call to park the helicopter based on those earlier city discussions. The City Council has taken no public votes in recent weeks to ground the helicopter.
"We're trying to tighten up the budget, to make sure it balances for the year," Prentice said. City leaders have talked about selling the helicopter, he said, but "that's not something for right now."
For right now, the helicopter sits on a wooden platform in its hangar at Hawthorne's municipal airport. It will remain on the ground indefinitely, Prentice said.
A white sign hangs in one of the chopper's bubble windows: "Out of Service."
From Doug Irving, Daily Breeze
Police call it Air Five-Five, a sleek helicopter that can race to the scene at 140 mph and spot suspects hiding in shrubs or shadows. It has a Hawthorne badge painted on its fuselage, but it answers calls across the South Bay.
Hawthorne has grounded the helicopter in recent days in an effort to save money and shore up its budget. The city has no immediate plans to send the chopper back up, despite an internal police report detailing its value and a new willingness by other cities to help pay for it.
Crew chief Mark Galoustian learned over the weekend that the helicopter had been sidelined. The night before, it had thundered over the San Diego (405) Freeway in pursuit of a fleeing car.
"We were heroes. I mean, that's what this helicopter's for," Galoustian said. "And then, the next morning, they told us we were shut down."
Hawthorne bought the helicopter for $450,000 in 2001. It has since loaded tens of thousands of dollars in mapping and recording systems, searchlights and radios on board with the help of federal grants.
The chopper answered nearly 1,000 calls last year, swooping over parties that had spun out of control or watching for drunken drivers from 700 feet above. Police attributed 99 arrests to the helicopter in 2005, according to department statistics.
Air Five-Five remains the only helicopter dedicated to the South Bay. Not long ago, it helped find kayakers lost off the coast of Manhattan Beach, according to an internal police report sent to the city manager. It answered a robbery call at a Torrance restaurant fast enough to catch the suspect walking out the front door.
The helicopter has contributed to an 8 percent drop in serious crime in Hawthorne since 2004, according to the police report. "It would seem shortsighted to dismantle a valuable program," the report concluded.
The chopper "is worth its weight in gold," Lt. Tom Jester said. "It will immediately be missed. Immediately."
Other South Bay cities have been reluctant in the past to help Hawthorne pay the cost of keeping the helicopter in the air. But that has changed in the past few months.
The cities of Manhattan Beach, El Segundo and Torrance have agreed to contribute $10,000 a year toward the helicopter program, according to the police report. The city of Inglewood has talked about doing the same.
South Bay cities will have to rely more on helicopter coverage from other agencies, such as the Los Angeles police and the sheriff's office, as long as Hawthorne's chopper stays on the ground.
That helicopter would "constantly help us locate suspects and vehicles," said Sgt. Steve Tobias of Manhattan Beach. "(It's) been extremely useful."
But Hawthorne is struggling to keep its budget in balance. City leaders talked last year about grounding the helicopter program and putting its roughly $246,000 annual cost to another use but decided to keep it aloft.
At the time, though, they committed to only six months of flights, said City Manager Richard Prentice, himself a retired police captain. Those six months have come and gone, he said, and the city still needs to find money to balance its main budget. The soaring cost of the helicopter's jet fuel hasn't helped.
Prentice said he made the call to park the helicopter based on those earlier city discussions. The City Council has taken no public votes in recent weeks to ground the helicopter.
"We're trying to tighten up the budget, to make sure it balances for the year," Prentice said. City leaders have talked about selling the helicopter, he said, but "that's not something for right now."
For right now, the helicopter sits on a wooden platform in its hangar at Hawthorne's municipal airport. It will remain on the ground indefinitely, Prentice said.
A white sign hangs in one of the chopper's bubble windows: "Out of Service."
From Doug Irving, Daily Breeze
