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Local police treated to 'eye in the sky' Helicopter costs donated by public safety fan By JULIE SWENSEN Police here who need a helicopter to look for a missing person don't have to request a military helicopter from Portland or Salem anymore. For several months, local police have had a helicopter available when they need it -- not only for spotting missing people or fleeing criminals, but also for aerial scene-of-the-crime photography. And the use of the aircraft isn't costing them: A reserve police officer who works in Phoenix and Talent is picking up the tab, but on the condition that he remain anonymous. It's unusual to have a privately funded helicopter provided to police, "especially one with this level of sophisticated equipment and the level of commitment that's being provided to the community," said Talent police Chief C.W. Smith, who wouldn't reveal the donor's name. Smith would say only that the man believes strongly in public safety. Smith, chairman of the board of governors for the project, doesn't know of any other such program. He said police here couldn't hire a helicopter before because there weren't enough resources to do so. The helicopter is owned by Snowy Butte Helicopters and is used commercially for making maps and other purposes, Smith said; pilots from the company steer the aircraft. Information about how much it's costing the donor -- and benefiting taxpayers -- per hour of the helicopter's operation wasn't available from Snowy Butte on Tuesday. The donor said he wouldn't want to offer use of the aircraft unless people were trained properly, Smith said. So one police officer from each of several police agencies has undergone 120 hours of training in how to use equipment such as the helicopter's infrared device, which tracks heat. The helicopter has been in use for about six months, and people involved in the project have been working out policy and liability issues. Police departments participating in the program include Phoenix, Talent, Shady Cove, Eagle Point, Ashland and Central Point. But other agencies can request to use the aircraft, as the Oregon State Police did last week in the search for a 75-year-old woman missing northwest of Sams Valley. The helicopter also has been used in searches for a strong-arm robber in the Medford area, an 8-year-old boy in the Winema National Forest, a person wanted by police in Josephine County, a woman fleeing police in a check forgery case in Central Point and a man who was reported to have robbed an Ashland convenience store last weekend. In that incident, the helicopter was on a training exercise above Ashland when the pilot heard the robbery call on the radio and offered to help police by circling the area. Ashland residents called the police department, wondering what was going on; it turned out the "robber" was a shoplifter who had stolen some beer. While some residents apparently had concerns about the helicopter's noise during that incident, Ashland police Chief Scott Fleuter said he didn't hear any formal complaints about it. Smith said he hasn't heard about any noise complaints, either. Not just for emergencies, the helicopter also will be patrolling jurisdictions of participating agencies on a regular basis, Smith said. Although he wouldn't say how often that happens, he said "it's often enough to give the criminal element some concern." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA