Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Cook County Board approves roughly $16.6 million to fund sheriff helicopter after public calls to delay
Summary
Cook County commissioners voted to approve a contract to fund operation, maintenance and contractor-provided pilots for a sheriff-operated helicopter the county purchased in 2022.
Cook County commissioners voted to approve a contract to fund operation, maintenance and contractor-provided pilots for a sheriff-operated helicopter that officials said will be ready for delivery this summer.
The contract listed in the board’s new items (item 252495) covers operational costs the sheriff’s office said are needed to staff, fuel, house and maintain the aircraft; the request before the board was described in the meeting record as roughly $16.6 million.
Community members and policy advocates urged the board to delay or send the request back to committee so the public could review the use of civil asset forfeiture funds and other budget details. Doctor Duane Cook, pastor of Refuge and Strength Full Gospel Assembly and an organizer with People’s Lobby, asked commissioners to “delay the vote on this…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
