The Fayette

County Sheriff's Department's helicopter unit will move its base of operations

to Peachtree City's Falcon Field the first of the year.

The helicopter

is currently stationed at the Coweta County airport, where it shares a

hangar with the Georgia Department of Corrections. But the Peachtree City

Airport Authority offered the department free hangar space to keep the

chopper, and the department decided to take them up on the offer.

"It will

allow us to have a quicker response time," Jordan said.

The hangar

will need to have office space built, which may possibly be done with

state prison labor at no cost to the county, Jordan said. The authority

would pay only for the materials used if that situation could occur, he

added.

Authority chairwoman

Cathy Nelmes said having the Sheriff's Department located at Falcon Field

will help provide an extra sense of security there.

The helicopter,

which was used to help locate an armed carjacking suspect from Atlanta

several months ago, has been on routine patrols all across the county,

Jordan said.

The helicopter

will be relocated to Falcon Field the first week of January when the department's

chief pilot, Bill Riley, comes on board, Jordan said.