To get a birds-eye view for

catching criminals and help make police chases safer, the Fayette County

Sheriff's Department has purchased a helicopter.

The air unit recently began

patrolling the county this week, according to sheriff's officials.

Department officials are rewriting

chase policies to allow ground units to slow down pursuits once the observational

helicopter is in place, said Maj. Bruce Jordan, director of investigations.

While recent high speed chases

helped "accelerate" the department's plans to start an aviation

unit, heavy traffic that slowed down normal response also played a role

in the decision, Jordan said, noting that a helipad is in the plans for

the county's justice center that's nearing completion.

For violent crimes on the north

end of the county, it can take a patrol car up to 15 minutes to get to

the scene, where the air unit will be able to make the trip more quickly,

Jordan said.

"I am very proud of this,"

said Fayette County Sheriff Randall Johnson. "It's something we've

been looking at for a while."

Johnson credited the department's

drug task force for bringing in the funds for the helicopter. So far this

year, the drug task force has seized $4 million from alleged drug dealers,

and it gets to keep a percentage of those funds.

Jordan cited a 1998 study from

the U.S. Department of Justice that showed helicopters can decrease the

use of high-speed pursuits and increase apprehension rates.

Until now, Fayette County was

the only sheriff's department in surrounding counties without an air patrol

unit, Jordan said.

The helicopter, which will

feature two part-time pilots and a spotter, will also be used for regular

patrol and drug suppression activities, Jordan said.

"We'll target certain

times," when chases and violent crime are more likely to happen,

Jordan said. On routine patrol, the air unit will focus on hot spots around

the county for theft and burglary, he added. In several months, the department

will add a full-time pilot.

The funds for the additional

personnel will come out of the sheriff's department's current funding

with no increases necessary, Jordan added. The chief pilot, Bill Riley,

has logged over 30,000 hours flight time, Jordan noted.

The helicopter will be flown

to Fayetteville daily from its base at the Coweta County airport, where

it will be stationed in free hangar space with the Georgia Department

of Corrections, Jordan said. Fayette County will share in maintenance

expenses with the Department of Corrections, Jordan said.

Once in Fayetteville, after

going through a daily preflight checklist, it will take just 60 seconds

for the helicopter to become airborne when needed, Jordan said.

Although the helicopter has

room for five persons, a maximum limit of four will be allowed for insurance

purposes and typically only the pilot and spotter will be airborne, Jordan

said.

The $160,000 purchase price

for the Bell OH-58 came from the department's drug forfeiture fund, meaning

criminals are paying for the tool and not taxpayers, Jordan said. The

aircraft was purchased from the New Hampshire State Patrol, which recently

spent approximately that amount to refurbish the unit, he added.

"Had we not had a drug

squad that's so effective, we would not have a helicopter," Jordan

said.

The unit will first be on public

display at the annual Tyrone Founder's Day parade, Jordan said.

Although Jordan has a helicopter

pilot's license himself, he will not fly it much, he said.

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