ORLANDO, Fla. – At the same time maintenance issues have forced the Orange County Sheriff’s Office to scale back flights of its helicopter fleet and turn down calls for air support, the agency flew one of its helicopters to Tallahassee to participate in a memorial service for fallen officers, organizers confirmed.
On Monday morning, a helicopter from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office joined aircraft from Leon and Marion counties sheriff's agencies in a flyover of the Florida Capitol during a ceremony hosted by the Florida Fraternal Order of Police, union representatives said.
A recent News 6 investigation revealed that the Orange County Sheriff’s Aviation Unit has turned down dozens of requests for service due to various planned and unexpected maintenance issues that have, at times, left just one helicopter available to assist deputies throughout the 1,000 square mile county.
In March 2017, shortly after purchasing a new $4.2 million helicopter, the agency shipped one of its three older helicopters to Louisiana for a major refurbishment project. That aircraft, which remains out-of-service more than a year later, is expected to return to Orange County in a few weeks, sheriff’s officials said.
Six months later, a second helicopter manufactured in the 1970s was abruptly retired after pilots discovered a crack on the underside of the aircraft, records show.
A third helicopter, the agency’s newest, was grounded for more than two months after mechanics discovered problems with the aircraft’s engine. It returned to service in March.
In addition to its helicopters, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office also owns a single-engine Cessna airplane that can perform more limited law enforcement services, the agency said.
To minimize wear and tear on the two mission-ready helicopters currently available, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office has been limiting the calls to which its Aviation Unit can respond.
Under an agency protocol that has been in place for more than six months, sheriff's pilots are still required to fly on high-priority missions such as searching for missing people, vehicle pursuits and tracking criminal suspects who pose an immediate threat to the public.
However, most other requests for air support may be declined when only one or two helicopters are available, internal emails obtained by News 6 show. Those missions include foot pursuits, surveillance flights, fire rescue support, homeland security and disaster-related missions, public relations flights, and support for SWAT and K-9 operations.
Statistics provided by the Sheriff's Office suggest flight crews are receiving fewer requests for help while the limitations are in place.
In 2017, records show the Aviation Unit responded to 864 fewer calls for service than the previous year, a decline of 18 percent, while taking part in 38 percent fewer patrol missions.
During that same period flight crews assisted with 181 fewer arrests than in 2016, a 24 percent decline, records indicate.
A News 6 review of aircraft flight logs during the first three months of 2018 indicates the Aviation Unit continues to respond to a significantly lower volume of calls as the agency attempts to return its helicopter fleet to full status.
"A lot of these things happened that we could not have anticipated," Orange County Sheriff's Capt. Tony Minnis said of the recent maintenance issues. "We never were without aircraft in the county. Anything we deemed appropriate to fly on, we flew on."
Sheriff’s officials did not respond to emails and a phone call from News 6 inquiring why it deviated from the Aviation Unit protocol to fly one of its helicopters to the law enforcement memorial service in Tallahassee, a 440-mile round trip from Orange County.
During Monday’s ceremony, several local law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty were honored, including Orange County Deputy Norm Lewis, Orlando Police Lieutenant Debra Clayton, and Kissimmee Police Department’s Sergeant Sam Howard and Officer Matthew Baxter.