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Friday April 28, 2000 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER 7 Can't justify cost of helicopter say Halton Police By Lisa C a rtw rig ht SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Halton Regional Police would benefit from a helicopter, but not on a full-time basis, a police official said. "It probably isn't justified in Halton," Superintendent Paul Cormier said. "We don't have the number of calls." Superintendent Cormier's com ments stemmed from a presentation to Halton, Hamilton-Wentworth and Peel Region Police last week about the effectiveness of air support. The three police services were partners in a five-month helicopter pilot project from July of last year until December. Dr. Kathryn Asbury, of Research Management Consultants Inc. made an independent study of the pilot project and released a report entitled Evaluation: The Joint Helicopter Patrol Program. Dr. Asbury concluded that a heli copter would be beneficial for the three police services. She suggested it would be beneficial for each part ner to have its own pilot project. "It's a useful and valuable tool," she said. In addition to police, members of police services boards were also at police headquarters in Oakville to hear Dr. Asbury's comments. Dr. Asbury said she was impressed about how well the pro ject was handled. Everyone involved was commit ted to providing a fair and unbiased report of the effectiveness of a heli copter to the police's regular opera tions, she said. To help establish the effective ness, targets and goals were set. The goals of AIR 3 were to reduce the duration of high-speed pursuits, reduce the response to alarm calls, theft of motor vehicles and residential and commercial break-ins by 10% and to increase the cultivation of narcotic charges by 100%. The partners also wanted to find out response time, determine officer satisfaction and get community opinion. While many of the goals weren't met, Dr. Asbury stressed that was because of the tight flight schedule and the short test period rather than the ineffectiveness of the helicopter. The pilot project began in midJuly and continued until December. A Bell Jet Ranger 206B from Canadian Helicopters was used for the project. Each police organization used the helicopter for six hours for two consecutive nights each week. `They (the police) were locked into a schedule," Dr. Asbury said. She said the short-time frame "hindered the ability of teams to meet their objectives." In Halton, the targets that were met included reducing the number of commercial break and enters by 10% and increasing the number of cultivation narcotic charges by Helicopter helped police find & charge criminals Almost 20 charges and arrests were made as a direct result of Air 3, the helicopter used in the five-month pilot project, said the author of a report that about the effec tiveness of the study. According to Dr. Kathryn Asbury's report, Evaluation: The Joint Helicopter Patrol Program, a heli copter would be beneficial to the police. The pilot project was a joint venture between Halton, Hamilton-Wentworth and Peel Regional Police. The following statistics are about use of Air 3 in Halton Region: · Air 3 flew about 239 hours. · It responded to 216 calls, with 60 being dispatched calls and 40% being self-dispatched calls. · When dispatched, Air 3 arrived first 46% of the time. · Out of 66 people arrested, seven arrests were direct ly linked to Air 3. · There were 57 Criminal Code Charges laid, with 10 directly attributed to Air 3. · Two of the 28 other charges were attributed to the use of Air 3. Pud THAT w a s Yo u r Ho u s e l e a g u e so ccer c o n v e n o r o n t h e by Steve Nease PICKUP0URTEAM LIST AND U N IFO R M S J T AT THE COACHES N T.MEETINGNEYTWEEKJ l UH, I d id n 't a s k . ^ W HAT t h e Mo s t im po r t a n t D A D /T H A I S Co l o u r AREW E? r mj 100%. In the latter, about $1.5 million dollars worth of drugs were seized and two arrests were made. Dr. Asbury's report also stated there was high officer satisfaction with the helicopter in that it arrived faster than a cruiser. In fact, Air 3 was 76% faster, Dr. Asbury said. In Halton, cruisers took about six-and-a-half minutes to respond to a call, while Air 3 responded in just over a minute-and-a-half. The budget for the pilot project was about $550,000, with $250,000 being funded by the Ministry of the Solicitor General and Correctional Services. Because of what Dr. Asbury called "fiscal management," the pilot project cost almost $490,000 -- less than originally predicted. Air 3 was equipped with a PA and radio communication system, infrared technology and a powerful Nightsun spotlight. The helicopter was used for searches and pursuits, surveillance, assisting the fire department and drug recovery. What police do with the informa tion is up to the individual organiza tions, Superintendent Cormier said. Here, the Halton Regional Police Services Board has to evaluate the report before making any decisions. Halton police have a number of options including working in part nership or buying air time from other police services, the superin tendent said. ------- ^ MOTORVAC HIGH PRESSURE FUEL INJECTION SERVICE Here' s what we'll do: Cleans: - Fuel Injectors - Fuel Injector Rai - Air Induction System - Intake & Exhaust Vakes fed · · · · Install up to 8L of Motomaster Coolant Pressure - test cooling system Visually inspect all belts & hoses Check cooling fan operation R ecom m ended e v e ry 12 m o n th s or Sale From Provides Enhanced Power & Increased Fuel Economy O ffers V a lid S a tu rd ay , A pril 2 9 · F riday, M a y 5 · Rsrfarm computerized engine analysis with printout 7i · Inspect air filter and PCV valve · Replace spark plugs with Motomaster V-gnxve spark plugs · Inspect cfcftibutDr cap, rotor, ignition wires and coi Fees for used automotive product cisposal m ay apply Most vehicles. See detais n store. M a in te n a n c e tu n e -u p