Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office Starts Rebuild of Aviation Unit

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September 7, 2022, 8:26 pm

ABQ RAW staff

POSTED 09/07/2022 @ 2:00PM

Bernalillo County Officials discuss plans about the future of their air support unit during a press conference

On September 7th, 2022, The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s office held a news conference with the media to inform the public about the start of the rebuilding process of their aviation unit.

On July 16th, 2022, BCSO’s Metro 2 air unit crashed near Las Vegas, N.M. The crash destroyed a Vietnam era style helicopter that was outfitted for search and rescue, law enforcement, and fire fighting capabilities killing the entire crew.

“These things(rebuilding process) will take anywhere from five, ten, fifteen years, but I would hope with the vision, the plan and the fortitude of this unit, that these things will happen over the years to come It’s not something that you’re going to see immediately,” said Sheriff Manny Gonzales III.

Metro 2 crew who was killed in a crash on July 16th, 2022.

The Department has appointed a sergeant to start the rebuilding process of the aviation unit. A team from Bernalillo County Sheriff’s office will go out to San Diego, California to shadow the San Diego County Sheriff’s aviation unit. The San Diego model has long been considered one of the most elite air support units in the nation.

Currently, the BCSO office has a helicopter (AStar B3) and a fixed-wing plane (Cessna T-41C), in its fleet. Both aircraft will be grounded indefinitely. There will be upcoming discussions with the County Commissioners on possibly purchasing a new helicopter to help with the mission of search and rescue, law enforcement, and fire fighting capabilities.

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