First, I'm in favor of them using the helicopter. You never know who the thief is. He/she may be wanted for a more serious crime. Lets just get them off the street with all the tools available. (Yes, I know the courts will just let them go. That's another discussion.)

With that being said, I don't think just because money comes from seizures means it could be spent irresponsibly with no ill effects. The government decided it can use seized money to fight crime. That's great but they could easily decide instead that it goes towards normal operating costs of running police departments taking some of the burden off tax payers. So, whether it's tax dollars, seized dollars, or donated dollars, I don't think we should ever justify an expenditure just because it's funded with seized money. It should stand on it's own and I think in the discussion over the helicopter it does.