On February 26th, 2018, Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims proudly introduced the office’s new helicopter, a MD 530F. This state of the art aircraft will be a valuable resource for search and rescue operations, as well as daily law enforcement duties. An interesting fact about this helicopter is that all of its parts were manufactured and assembled in the United States.
In December of 2015, the Fresno County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the purchase of the $3.8 million helicopter. It is replacing one of the FSO’s two existing helicopters, EAGLE One and EAGLE Two, which are models MD 500E. These aircrafts were built in 1990 and 1991 and have a combined total of 30,000 operational hours on them. The MD 530F, which will be referred to as EAGLE One while on patrol, offers more power and has the ability to fly at higher elevations in hotter weather. Unlike our old aircraft, this one is painted more white than green. This is in order to make it easier for people on the ground to see it during search & rescue operations. A green body blends in with the trees.
There is no increase in net county cost associated with this purchase. The following paid for the new helicopter: Funds from the Sheriff’s 2015 – 2016 budget, prior year’s revenues and Federal Asset Forfeiture funds.
Sheriff Mims is in the process of securing funds to purchase another new helicopter. The Sheriff’s Office has already set aside $1.8 million, which the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) presented to the FSO as part of proceeds seized during its investigation of a synthetic drug trafficking operation.
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Air Support Unit (ASU) is a force multiplier with unique capabilities to impact the effectiveness of ground-based patrol deputies, search and rescue teams, narcotics detectives and allied law enforcement agencies throughout Fresno County. ASU operates seven days a week, 365 days a year and consists of two helicopters and one fixed-wing airplane.
