The reality is the helicopter will be a great asset and was provided at no cost to the taxpayers. It is a surplus military helicopter donated by the state. Funds for maintenance and operation come from Federal drug money (money seized from drug raids, not necessarily from our area) and such funds are mandated to be used for equipment, such as vehicles and including aircraft. Even the pilot was already on staff with the Sheriff's Department as a uniformed officer. (It just happened to be we had a deputy who flew helicopters in the military and is licensed to fly this type of helicopter, so the county won't have to hire a pilot. They can use existing personnel.) SABLE is a program operated out of New Hanover County and this resource has been a higher cost per hour rate than having this helicopter. For Brunswick's helicopter, parts have (and will be) provided in many cases at little or no cost as many of the major parts will come from the military, National Guard, etc. Other counties in North Carolina have similar helicopters and the annual cost has been reviewed by Brunswick County and shown to be lower than using SABLE. This helicopter was previously owned by another N.C. county and was transferred to Brunswick. Bladen County has a similar helicopter and their operational and maintenance costs were reviewed for approximately a year before making the decision to acquire this one. Federal grant money is available (meaning it will go to some county or agency somewhere regardless if one agrees with the aspect of grants or not) to purchase equipment such as forward looking infrared (FLIR) and some additional items which may be acquired at some point. School funding is not even remotely associated with the funding of the Sheriff's department as Brunswick County allocates this money separately. To assert it will adversely impact schools is a statement based upon not knowing how the schools or the budget works. As stated above, operational costs will come from Federal drug seizure funding which the county has already acquired which is mandated to go to equipment. Generally most counties get this type of funding and it is the discretion of the Sheriff's department as to how these monies should be used. Brunswick County has over 1000 square miles, over 850 square miles of land, 19 municipalities making it the most of any county in the state, hundreds of communities, the second fastest growing county in the state and the 17th fastest growing in the country. We have vast unincorporated and undeveloped areas in the form of natural wildlife habitats constituted by swamps, rivers, sounds, and other areas which make search and rescue efforts difficult due to the terrain and limited access. In addition the crime situation is rising, with gang and drug activity a concern. If one goes beyond the news stories, talk with those involved, understand the issues, consider the options, look at the funding, review the budgets, and then make a decision you might have a better idea why Brunswick County decided to get a helicopter. As a citizen, I think it was a good idea. They took considerable effort to weigh the cost vs. benefit, they did their homework and they're using funding which won't adversely impact any of our citizens. This was no snap decision, no fad or new toy, but an asset to make our homes, businesses and families safer. I applaud the Sheriff and others for making this a reality.