If we were a rich town, we would have… a police helicopter. Four years ago the topic all across town was the insistence by some members of the Council that we buy a helicopter.
 
But we aren't a rich town.
 
To them, it didn't matter that other police resources would have to be sacrificed. It didn't matter that we had no long term funding source to sustain the craft. It didn't matter that their designated resource, red light camera funds, would soon disappear or that the state would soon take much of the revenue (fines). They ordered one anyway.
 
The issue was probably one of two that led citizens to question those Council members business acumen and later their ethics. At the next election, citizens overwhelmingly chose a new Council, one that would make prudent decisions, including canceling the order for a wonderful tool that we simply couldn't afford.
 
I think we all saw the extreme value that a helicopter can bring to a city's police force. We, sort of, do have one, sometimes — we provide police personnel and resources to assist the Department of Public Safety's helicopter crew through the Garland Air Support Unit. We have been fortunate to have the benefit of that helicopter numerous times and in ways that have strongly benefited citizens.
 
I was reminded of this controversy earlier in the week when I received an e-mail pointing to this K-9 and helicopter chase of two suspects in Brevard County, Florida. Watch the video with your browser maximized to see the whole scene. It may take a moment to adjust to what you are seeing because it is produced by a FLIR (Forward Looking InfraRed) system that tracks heat-radiating objects, like people and dogs! It's a bit like looking at a film negative.
 

Garland Police and K-9 officers searching Click graphic to download and view

That is amazing footage but no more so than an example from here in Garland posted over three years ago that was shared by Officers Clay Lacey and Matt Murphey. It could have been titled "Fiddler on the Roof" for literal reasons. Follow the link to view dramatic video that combines FLIR and nighttime spotlit scenes. K-9 units were on the ground searching. Even with the superior noses of the dogs, the black-dressed suspect would probably have escaped but for the work of the helicopter crew. The quality of the video is less because I had to reduce its size and it must be downloaded first, but it still tells its story well.
 
In another local video that I saw, two persons had broken into a south Garland school. Police arrived looking for the burglars. They hid in a trash dumpster hoping to go unnoticed. The helicopter crew spotted them quickly and easily, directing ground units to the hiding spot. Because officers on the ground already had information where the suspects were hiding, they could take adequate precautions to protect themselves and to react appropriately to the suspects. Without that knowledge, officers would have had to expose themselves by climbing onto the dumpster and looking inside, unprotected. Nerves and quick reactions by either side could have led to several different conclusions.
 
[Here's a DPS copter video I found on YouTube that involves Garland police and at least one K-9 Officer. As this video will show, same DPS copter, in the dark it is easy to miss a suspect by just a few yards. Eyes overhead with FLIR and radio makes the difference time after time.]
 
Oy! If we were a rich town…