Aircraft Had Not Patrolled Since June, 2011

The police departments of the cities of Costa Mesa and Newport Beach, CA, have formally dissolved their agreement to jointly provide police helicopter patrols for the two cities. The Airborne Law Enforcement (ABLE) board took the action at its final meeting last Thursday.

The ABLE helicopters were assigned to patrol the airspace over both cities, providing support to officers on the ground. The Eagles, as there were called, had been grounded since June, 2011, after the Costa Mesa City Council cut funding for the program, citing its costs, according to the Orange County, CA, Daily Pilot. The board had continued to meet while the accounts of the program were settled, the three aircraft were sold, and a decision was made about how to dispense with 5,000 gallons of unused fuel.

Following an audit, each city received about $2.5 million from funds still in the program's account.

While the ABLE program is officially done, the two cities currently partner with nearby Huntington Beach for aerial support. Newport Beach has a contract for up to 1,000 hours of air time from Huntington Beach, while Costa Mesa requests the aircraft on a case-by-case basis. Huntington Beach charges each city $700 per hour for the use of its aircraft, but Newport Beach is reportedly not charged for any unused hours.

FMI: http://www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/government/departments/pd/divisions/uniform/Aerounit.cfm