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Modesto Considers Buying Tech-Laden Plane as Police ‘Force Multiplier’

The aircraft’s $741,000 purchase price breaks down to $550,000 for the aircraft and $135,000 for the camera and other technology, including a forward-looking infrared camera and software.

The Modesto Police Department could have its own tech-equipped plane flying over the city as early as mid-April if the City Council approves the purchase Tuesday.

The department wants to buy a 2012 GippsAero GA8 equipped with a high-tech camera and other gear at a cost of about $741,000. The department would pay for the single-engine plane with money from its traffic safety and state law enforcement supplemental funds.

Assistant Chief of Police Ivan Valencia said the traffic fund cannot be used to hire officers. He said while the other fund can be used for that, it would not be wise because it is a state grant and the amount varies widely from year to year.

The aircraft is substantially cheaper to buy and maintain than a helicopter, said Assistant Chief Ivan Valencia, and the plane’s high-tech camera system mimics the benefits of a helicopter that can hover over a crime scene. The GA8 flies at 60 to 150 mph.

He called the airplane “a police car in the sky” that would respond to the same calls for service as patrol officers on the ground.

The airplane’s two-person crew would consist of a pilot and a police officer acting as an observer. It could be in the air about 20 hours a week. When and where it flies would be based on a Police Department analysis of crime trends and other factors.

Valencia said the aircraft will act as a force multiplier because it is the equivalent of at least six patrol officers on the ground. The plane can respond faster than officers and capture the evidence they need to cite a speeding driver or arrest a burglar, he said. Suspects can’t escape the airplane’s high-tech camera, which functions day or night.

If the plane is flying over downtown when a call comes in, the officer in the plane can enter the address into the camera and it will immediately start recording a live feed. The airplane is equipped with a FLIR (forward-looking infrared) Star Safire 380 HD imaging system. Valencia said it can record from great distances but he could not immediately provide specifics.

The plane can follow a reckless driver and provide video, photos and other information to officers on the ground. Valencia said the Star Safire video is the evidence officers need to cite or arrest the driver.

Because the airplane can quickly respond to calls for service, capture the suspects on video and follow them, it significantly increases authorities’ ability to arrest and prosecute suspects, he said. That can make a huge difference in reducing the number of burglaries and robberies, which, he said, often are committed by the same small group of criminals.

The GA8’s camera system also can capture video from illegal sideshows in which drivers spin doughnuts and perform other risky stunts, and the video can be used to gather warrants to temporarily impound the cars. And vehicle pursuits of fleeing suspects can be less dangerous because officers on the ground can pull back and reduce their speed while the plane follows the suspects.

Valencia said the plane typically would fly at 1,500 feet elevation but can be flown at 3,000 so it won’t be seen from the ground. He said helicopters typically fly at 1,000 feet. The plane also can look for missing people and help with gang and drug operations.

But he said the high-tech camera system is not the type of surveillance system that always is recording and captures a panoramic view of what’s below it.

The GippsAero GA8 is a light utility aircraft that can be used for search and rescue, surveillance and observation, and for carrying freight or skydivers. It can carry seven passengers. The aircraft is used by the San Bernardino and Orange County sheriffs’ departments, the California and Ohio highway patrols and the U.S. Civil Air Patrol.

An Australian company manufactured the GippsAero. There are not many GA8 models in use. Media reports put the number at roughly 250 globally. There are 61 in the United States, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. That includes seven with the CHP, and the sheriffs’ departments in Orange and San Bernardino counties have one each.

The GA8’s roughly $741,000 purchase price breaks down to $550,000 for the aircraft, $135,000 for the camera and other gear, $1,800 for an escrow free and $53,978 in sales tax. The city also could pay an $800 inspection fee.

(c)2023 The Modesto Bee. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.