The Sacramento Police Department is pleased to announce the purchase agreement of a Bell 505 Jet Ranger X helicopter. This will be the first law enforcement configured Bell 505 Jet Ranger X Helicopter delivered worldwide.

The new Bell 505 Jet Ranger X is currently on the production line and is expected for delivery in early April 2018. The new helicopter is slated to replace the 1970’s era Bell OH-58 Helicopters the department currently utilizes.

These helicopters were acquired through a military surplus program back in 1997. The Bell OH-58 helicopters have flown for nearly 20 years and over 30,000 flight hours, serving the Sacramento Region. The addition of the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X will help in reducing response time to routine and critical calls, thus providing a more effective and timely police services to our community. The Sacramento Police Department flies a cooperative flight schedule with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s department to provide an increased service time to the citizens of the Sacramento Region.

Upon delivery, the Bell 505 Jet Ranger will be sent to be outfitted with the latest in safety technology, to include FLIR (forward looking infrared), color camera, mapping software and lighting to keep the City safe. The new helicopter will be an invaluable addition to the Sacramento Police Department in its utilization of emerging technology and ever-expanding goal of making Sacramento an amazing place to live, work and visit.