Montgomery County Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said he continued to support starting a new police helicopter program, despite ongoing opposition from the County Council.
Manger said he was in favor of a bill by Councilwoman Duchy Trachtenberg, D-at large, that would allow money from the Drug Enforcement Forfeiture Fund to be used for drug treatment and prevention programs, as long as there was enough money in the fund to pay for the fund’s primary purpose: investigating and arresting drug dealers.
“We must use [the fund] intelligently to help combat drug trafficking,” Manger told the County Council.
He later told The Examiner that his support for the bill didn’t mean he was dropping his bid to start a helicopter program, and said he was not convinced the council would ultimately reject the proposal.
“It’s not a done deal yet,” he said.
The bill would not mandate how Manger use the fund, but County Council members made clear they expected him to use part of the fund for treatment programs, particularly if there were state cuts to county programs.
That could cause competing priorities for Manger as he tries to get the helicopter program, which is expected to cost more than $1 million in its first two years, off the ground.
The fund had a balance of $2.3 million in July, but Manger cautioned that the fund has typically only raked in $1.2 million a year for the last 12 years.
The budget for special drug investigations, which draws from the fund, is expected to be $750,000 during this fiscal year, Capt. David Gillespie said.
Council President Phil Andrews, D-Gaithersburg/Rockville, said he wanted the fund to be spent on drug-related issues, both enforcement and treatment, and said it “is a stretch at best” to argue that a police helicopter program met that criterion.
Andrews said the cash-strapped county couldn’t afford to start a nonessential program. He said County Executive Ike Leggett’s recent savings plan, which calls for $400,000 in cuts to police supplies like uniforms and ammunition, bolstered the arguments against the helicopter program.
But police officials and Leggett said the county has been given two working ex-Army helicopters at no charge and shouldn’t pass up the opportunity to start a needed helicopter program. Police officials said they would use the helicopters for a variety of tasks, including assisting drug investigations.
