Incoming council member Jackie Feagin and I visited the Garland Air Unit this evening, saw the facilities where the helicopter that has been order will be housed, and viewed a presentation with information on air units in other cities and much of the thought processes that went into the selection of this particular unit. We also saw a couple videos of how the DPS helicopter has been used to support Garland police units on the ground.

I left the presentation with a distinct impression that we were shown factual information without the grandiose statements that have been made in public forums over the last few months. For example, there was no claim that the helicopter had made "x" arrests. There was a logical presentation of the decision process that has been developed over seven years as to why a certain type of craft would be the best unit for local conditions and demands. There was not a reliance on consultants but on continual discussions and visits with professionals in other cities and agencies.

I did not get the feeling that any extra toys had been ordered. In fact, I learned of many useful tools that could have been ordered but were evaluated for appropriateness and cost and were passed over. I also didn't hear anything that would make it a very comfortable VIP limo.

I definitely think it unfortunate that such an important tool and decision were politicized, an irresponsible process that robbed a very sober contemplation of the merit it deserved. I'm happy with myself that I refused to politicize the subject during the campaign and feel I'm a free agent that should keep on open mind.

Financing such a large purchase remains difficult, particularly with a revenue source (Safe Light Funds) subject to so many challenges, the high profile ones being continued legislative attacks and declining revenues as the cameras accomplish their intended purpose. Also, there are always trade-offs to each decision tied to a limited budget.

Can we afford it and what are the trade-offs? I don't know and I don't believe many within the city could know the answer yet because too little of the real facts are commonly known and too much misinformation has been thrown against the wall like spaghetti to see if it will stick.

I do know that making decisions based on politics has been bad for the city and I'm already learning daily more of the ill consequences. This is one decision that was made that deserved better treatment. There were no winners in this one. Politicizing the process polarized emotions but did nothing for mentally wrangling with the issues.