The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office was given the approval to negotiate a selling price of a surplus helicopter to the Merced County Sheriff's Office.

The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors approved a consent calendar item on Feb. 27 to declare the 1972 Bell Jet Ranger as surplus equipment eligible to be sold and gave Stanislaus Sheriff Jeff Dirkse approval to negotiate the price.

The Sheriff’s Office aircraft fleet consists of three helicopters and two fixed wing airplanes. One of the helicopters, a 1972 Bell 206B2 Jet Ranger, was donated to the County by Gallo Wineries in 2002, with equipment upgrades funded by the California Multi-Jurisdictional Methamphetamine Enforcement Team and Stanislas Drug Enforcement Agency.

In 2022, the Sheriff’s Office replaced the Jet Ranger with a 2014 Bell 407GXP and now needs to dispose of the older asset. Merced County Sheriff has expressed interest in purchasing the aircraft.

The Merced Sheriff’s Office has retained a certified third-party firm and has appraised the aircraft at $533,500, before any maintenance or other recommended repairs to the aircraft were deducted. The Sheriff’s Office has reviewed this appraisal and is recommending selling this aircraft as-is for a sales price of $400,000. The helicopter has multiple deferred maintenance needs/repairs in the near future, including an overhaul of the engine. The value of these repairs exceeds $150,000. Any needed repairs or upgrades would be done by the Merced County Sheriff’s Office after the aircraft is transferred to their inventory.