LMPD :: Louisville Metro Police Department
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Police say they have plan for air support after sale of helicopter

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WAVE 3 has new information on that controversial decision to sell a Louisville Metro Police helicopter. A lot of people in the community say having only one helicopter puts all of us at risk. LMPD tells us it has a plan to cover any emergency. But WAVE 3's Scott Harvey found out it might not be that easy.

The minimum bid has been reached and LMPD will sell one of it's helicopters.

"You know, I'm hoping it is not too late," says John McGuire.

McGuire is president of the Fraternal Order of Police and he says losing one chopper means that for 25-percent of the year, the police force won't have one available because of routine maintenance.

"The air unit is very important for officer safety," says McGuire. "If it's not available then that is a huge detrement to the safety of the community."Air unit 10 is considered Metro Police's backup helicopter. It's also the force's only current working chopper. LMPD's primary chopper, Air unit 20, crashed in August 2006. It's still being repaired in Phoenix.

"We really can't pin down a date. They are waiting for parts and we are really at the mercy of that," says Major Rodney Milbourn of Louisville Metro Police

But during Louisville's busiest time, The Kentucky Derby, officials say they have a plan."The Kentucky National Guard is supplying us with aviation support for both Thunder and the West Broadway detail, part of the Oaks and Derby detail," Milbourn says.

But what if the force needed air support right now?

"We just pick up the phone and call our contacts with the National Guard and they will get the assets in the air as quickly as they can," said Milbourn.

"It's a bit more involved than that," says Colonel Phil Miller with the Kentucky National Guard.Miller says if LMPD wants to use the guard's chopper, they would first have to request it from the Louisville Emergency Operations Center, who then calls the State Emergency Opertions Center. The request is the first sent to Kentucky State Police. If they can't do it, it goes to the National Guard. But that doesn't mean they can put the bird up right away.

"Provided that we are not out on another mission, and that we have a crew and aircraft available, that the weather is such that you could fly "and based on the commander's risk assessment that we are not getting into something too risky, we would launch the aircraft," says Miller.

Officials with LMPD say the decision to sell was part of cutbacks to reverse the city's $9-million budget shortfall.

"But with the economic downturn throughout the United States and the economic problems we have around Kentucky, it's not unexpected that something like this might happen," Milbourn said.

Late Monday afternoon on the auction website, we noticed a note that had been posted earlier that day saying the helicopter won't be available until May 5th -- two days after the Kentucky Derby.

The current bid is $636,000. The auction ends Wednesday, April 2nd at 8 p.m.

If you would like to keep an eye on this auction, just click on the highlighted link: LMPD Helicopter Auction.