LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Police Department‘s helicopter program spends 61% of its flight time on low-priority incidents at cost of nearly $50 million per year to taxpayers, according to an audit released Monday by the City Controller’s Office.
City Controller Kenneth Mejia and his staff conducted a first-ever audit of LAPD’s airborne operation, the Air Support Division, also known as its helicopter program. The audit was conducted in response to calls from the community and some organizations who requested more information regarding the costs and performance of LAPD helicopters.
From that time period, the city spent an average of $46.6 million on ASD, according to the audit. The audit found there is limited oversight or monitoring of the division, its policies, practices, or whether the program is in line with the city’s needs.
In a statement, LAPD Chief Michel Moore said the department received the audit Monday and will review it closely.
He added, “We will review the controller’s office recommendations as the department continuously strives to identify improvements that can be made.”
Findings of an audit of the LAPD’s helicopter program by the City Controllers Office. (Source: Controller.lacity.org)
The city operates its helicopter fleet on an almost “continuous basis” — usually there are two helicopters flying for 20 hours every day of the year. The helicopters logged an average of 16,000 hours of flight time each year at a cost of $2,916 per flight hour.
Some of the audit’s findings include the following:
Additionally, the audit outlined the environmental impact the helicopter program has in the city. According to the controller’s office, the helicopters burn approximately 761,000 gallons of fuel per year and release approximately 7,427 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year and burn about 47.6 gallons of fuel per hour.
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Additionally, LAPD should complete a formal assessment of air support needs for patrol and incident response operations to evaluate the program’s current operations and whether rightsizing opportunities exist.
With the audit, the city can use the information as a guideline to make appropriate changes to the helicopter program.
