(WATCH: City council approved the purchase of a new police helipcopter. But, as Vinesh Pratap explains, the EPS isn’t getting exactly what it wants.)
EDMONTON – As city budget deliberations continue, Edmonton city council approved the purchase of one single-engine police helicopter Tuesday.
After debating the issue for over an hour, council decided to include one single-engine chopper in the budget, not a twin-engine. The decision passed by a close vote of seven to six.
Currently, the Edmonton Police Service has two single-engine helicopters in its fleet, one of which is nearing the end of its lifespan. As a result, Police Chief Rod Knecht asked council last week for funds to purchase a $7.2 million twin-engine helicopter.
“I understand that money is tight and city council has a lot of priorities,” said Knecht on Nov. 27.
READ MORE: ‘It’s the Cadillac option’: Iveson on EPS request for $7.2M chopper
But, because money is an issue, councillor Dave Loken floated the idea of buying a single-engine model. It’s the option Mayor Don Iveson predicted council would ultimately approve.
“It sounds like there’s zero appetite on our council to buy a military grade, EC-135 twin-engine helicopter,” he said Nov. 27. “It’s a real nice piece of equipment, but it is more than Edmonton needs.”
On Tuesday, council also discussed the option of purchasing two single-engine models for a total of $7 million.
Knecht believes the EPS could get just shy of $1 million for one of its choppers and just over $1 million for the other. The money made from the sales would be put toward the purchase of the new chopper.
The helicopter program has been in place since 2001. The EPS says it’s led to 3,000 arrests.
With files from Vinesh Pratap, Global News
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