Kootenai County examines donated helicopter; commissioners press for legal review of liability and documentation

Lieutenant Mark Ellis told the Kootenai County Board of Commissioners that the sheriff’s office wants to continue using a nonprofit-donated helicopter and described it as a “force multiplier” used in life‑saving missions and investigations. Ellis said the nonprofit is willing to pay for insurance and that county costs would be “the same $10,000 that we were paying to Spokane County as well as the deputy’s cost” for staffing the aircraft.

Commissioners pressed for detail about the Kootenai County Regional Air Support Unit Operations Manual and who would sign off on maintenance, training and operational currency. One commissioner said the county would change its liability posture if it accepted the aircraft as a county asset and stressed that written policies must not only exist but be demonstrably followed. "If the board says yes to it, you know, then obviously the sheriff's office is 100% responsible for this program," the commissioner said, adding that counsel should scrutinize the documentation in a worst‑case scenario.

Ellis described several operational safeguards: pilots and tactical flight officers keep individual training files; pre‑ and post‑flight inspections and a three‑signature approval are required for each flight; 'squawk' maintenance reports are recorded in the maintenance manual and a hangar whiteboard; and NVG (night‑vision‑goggle) currency is certified by an instructor and the equipment recertified by the vendor every six months. He also identified key unit personnel by name, saying the unit sergeant is Sergeant Ryan Miller and the chief pilot is David Cummings, and that the nonprofit currently provides the chief mechanic.

Commissioners and staff flagged outstanding questions: whether county legal counsel and outside counsel have reviewed the donation agreement and policy manual, which duties would remain with the nonprofit under any volunteer agreement, how insurance exclusions might affect coverage, who would represent the county in catastrophic litigation, and the operational cost if volunteers stopped providing services. Commissioner Duncan said outside counsel should review the donation agreement and the documentation, and staff were asked to obtain a quote to cover that review (a commissioner estimated “probably a couple thousand” dollars).

Public comment echoed the county’s concerns: a resident warned that volunteer support can dry up and that taking on the aircraft could expand long‑term county obligations and costs.

Next steps: the board directed staff to secure an outside counsel estimate and to return the documentation for further review; no formal vote to accept the helicopter was taken at this meeting.

Ending: Commissioners closed discussion pending legal review and a cost estimate, noting the county must understand the full liability and documentation picture before accepting the asset.