The Pima County Sheriff's Department will unveil a new tool Monday that will help it fight crime and rescue lost hikers.
The department has a new American Eurocopter helicopter, which will serve a variety of functions from helping in searches, assisting ground units, the bomb and SWAT squads, as well as fighting wildfires.
The department will show off the helicopter at a Monday morning news conference at the Kino Sports Complex, 2500 E. Ajo Way.
The $3.8 million helicopter will replace a different model that crashed in the Waterman Mountains northwest of Tucson in January 2011, killing pilot Loren Leonberger, 60, a civilian pilot with the agency.
This will be the county's first rescue-capable helicopter.
The department previously relied on helicopters from the Arizona Department of Public Safety or the military.
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The county paid for the helicopter with money from an insurance settlement from the crash, federal grant money for urban areas with potential terrorism threats and about $1 million in forfeited racketeering money.
Contact reporter Jamar Younger at jyounger@azstarnet.com or 573-4115.
