Winnipeg police say a helicopter would help officers fight crime in variety of ways.
"We believe that we're going to be very successful in bringing people to justice in a safer manner than we have in the past," says Chief Keith McCaskill.
Operating funds for a police helicopter are being worked out with the province. The city has already set aside $3.5 million towards the project.
Police say the helicopter's camera system will have GPS tracking, meaning that an officer can type in an address and the onboard camera will automatically zoom in and can watch what's happening more than 10 km away.
McCaskill says the camera will not be used for anything other than tracking suspects or other police work.
The police chief says a helicopter will aid officers in pursuing stolen vehicles and in any situation involving an ongoing incident.
Det. Sgt. Dave Dalal says a helicopter will help provide better response times from police, along with improving efficiencies and the ability to track suspects.
Last year in Calgary, police in that city say almost 500 arrests would not have been made without helicopter support.
Some worry that the noise of the helicopter flying early in the morning will be disruptive but police say the helicopter being looked at, a Eurocopter, is one of the quietest in its class.
Police say they are taking concerns about both privacy and noise into consideration.
If negotiations go as planned, officers say they hope the helicopter will be operational in about six months.
- with a report from CTV's Kelly Dehn
