Had Acquired Its Only Aircraft Just Over A Year Ago

The sheriff in Hartford County, MD northeast of Baltimore has decided to end the department's year-old aviation program.

The Hartford County Sheriff's Department had received its only aircraft, a helicopter, in June of last year. Now, television station WMAR reports that the unit has been deactivated.

In an email, Sheriff Jeffrey R. Gahler said that safety issues and the cost of operating the aircraft were the reasons it was being eliminated. He said that the deputies assigned to the unit were not being supervised or overseen by someone with aviation-specific skills.

He also said that the annual operating costs for the program were estimated to be nearly $700,000. He said that money would be better allocated towards additional deputies, a street-level drug unit, and hiring correctional officers for an expansion of a vacant county detention center.

The county acquired the helicopter through a Department of Defense program that transfers excess equipment to law enforcement agencies. The aircraft will reportedly be returned to the DoD.

FMI: www.harfordsheriff.org