SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — The Spokane County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) is hoping to make approximately $1 million by auctioning off one of its search and rescue helicopters. The Bell UH-1 has served the SCSO for the last five years and is 50 years old.
The chopper is in a live auction until Wednesday at 3:30pm on govdeals.com. Chief David Ellis said the aircraft was recently refurbished and in good condition, but it isn't modern enough for the Sheriff's Office.
"Being able to respond to missing people, manage pursuits, suspect apprehension – to be able to have that more modern aircraft with modern technology is going to allow us to do our jobs better," Chief Ellis said.
The SCSO is planning on using the proceeds from the sale and grant money they already received to fund the purchase of a brand-new Bell 505 helicopter. It will be the first new helicopter the office has ever had, since its previous aircrafts were free from government surplus programs.
The new Bell 505 will cost approximately $3.2 million, after being fitted with all the gadgets and equipment. The old aircrafts sale, plus the grants, should cover about 1.7 million of that. The last $1.5 million will be funded by the county.
On top of selling one of their UH-1's, SCSO is also retiring another rig. Once they officially purchase the Bell 505, it will still take until next year for them to receive it from the company.
"Everyone is really looking forward to it," Ellis said.
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