By year's end, Fort Worth police could have the capability to shoot from the air

The Fort Worth Police Department is gearing up to reissue a bid proposal to replace an aging 22-year-old helicopter with one that will have capabilities the department hasn't had before.

This time around, the department is getting specific about what it wants in a new helicopter, from being able shoot from the aircraft and dropping officers onto rooftops, to performing land and water rescues, among other things.

Fort Worth has two Bell helicopters, one manufactured in 1996 with more than 23,000 flight hours, and the other in 2003 with nearly 13,000 flight hours. The helicopters are kept in constant use. The helicopters were taken on 1,866 flights totaling 1,437 hours in 2017, up from 1,288 flights totaling 892 hours in 2016, police said.

On average, more than $300,000 has been spent annually since 2015 on maintenance, according to budget records.

The city was going to couple $1.4 million in federal Homeland Security grants with $3 million from the Crime Control and Prevention District, or CCPD, to buy a helicopter. A bid went out in August 2016 and three companies responded: Fort Worth-based Bell, Grand Prairie-based Airbus Helicopters, and Rome-based Leonardo Helicopters, which has an office in Philadelphia.

By June 2017, city staff put a stop to the purchase when it became clear Fort Worth wasn't going to get permission from the state to spend the money on a helicopter.

Since then, the city has increased its budget to $4.7 million — $3.6 million from the CCPD and $1.1 million from a general capital projects fund.

And, in November, the city hired Arlington-based Conklin & de Decker, aviation experts and consultants, to help with the purchase process. The firm is being paid $12,500.

That's being done, in part, in response to the feedback the city received from two of the helicopter firms about how the bid process could be improved. Using a consultant to formulate and write the bid proposal makes it fair for all potential vendors.

Conklin & de Decker, too, will help the city decide when the best time will be to replace the younger of the two helicopters, said Aaron Bovos, the city's chief financial officer.

Fort Worth's aviation unit consists of 11 officers, which includes a chief pilot and four full-time pilots, and a mechanic. Its annual budget is about $1.1 million. Fort Worth police started using helicopters in 1968.

The city hopes to finish the buying process by September. It won't know until the bids arrive whether a helicopter can be delivered right away or if it will have to wait.

This story was originally published March 28, 2018 at 4:46 PM with the headline "By year's end, Fort Worth police could have the capability to shoot from the air."