Paramount : Council Wants More Data Before Vote on Sky Knight

A decision on whether the Sky Knight helicopter will stay in the skies over Paramount was put off by the City Council until it can obtain more budget information.

City Manager William A. Holt is recommending that the council pull out of the aerial patrol program and use the money for more ground units. Sky Knight, operated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, is funded by a consortium of six cities at a total cost of about $860,000 a year.

Officials in Lakewood, which owns the helicopter and founded Sky Knight 25 years ago, fear that if Paramount pulls out, other cities will follow. Lakewood officials say that would raise the cost or reduce the hours of service for the remaining cities of Cerritos, Artesia, Bellflower and Hawaiian Gardens.

Paramount Mayor Gerald A. Mulrooney said after the last City Council budget session that the council needs to determine how impending state budget cuts will affect the city before it can decide if it will remain in Sky Knight.