Cook County Board approves roughly $16.6 million to fund sheriff helicopter after public calls to delay

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 expenditure by sending the issue back to committee,” arguing the request was being made “outside the budget process” and deserved more public engagement.

Freddie Martinez, executive director of Lucy Parsons Labs, told commissioners his organization’s investigation of civil asset forfeiture in Cook County found “police have seized over $60,000,000 from the people of Cook County into off the record accounts,” and said the board should give affected residents time to be heard before approving major expenditures tied to those funds.

Sheriff’s Office officials defended the timing and the procurement approach. Chief Roe Conn, chief of strategy for the sheriff’s office, said the department had already purchased the airframe and must complete contracts for pilots, fuel and maintenance before the vendor’s delivery window. “We have identified a contractor that's got national fuel contracts,” Chief Conn said, adding that engaging a contractor for the initial five-year period “saves us about a million dollars over the 5 years” compared with standing up all services in-house immediately. Conn also told commissioners the helicopter is in Tennessee and needs to be brought to Cook County; the department said it faced possible fines if the aircraft were not collected on the seller’s schedule.

Commissioners pressed the sheriff’s office for reporting and oversight. Commissioner Alma Anaya thanked student and community advocates for engagement on other agenda items and Commissioner Jesse Britton asked for transparency about uses such as search-and-rescue and public-safety missions. Commissioner Andrea Vasquez requested quarterly reports on helicopter deployments, and Chief Conn said the department would maintain records of missions, locations and flight data and could report on a cadence the board sets.

Despite public calls for referral to committee, the full board approved the contract at the meeting. The clerk recorded the package of new items as carried; the meeting record shows the motions on the new items carried after roll call. The sheriff’s office said the contract will allow the department to rely on contractor flight crews and maintainers while training county personnel for eventual transition to more in-house staffing.

What happens next: the sheriff’s office will finalize the contractor arrangement, pick up the aircraft and begin pilot/maintenance staffing. Commissioners requested quarterly reporting back to the board on helicopter usage and costs.