King County unveils new Guardian One helicopter: enhancing public safety, search & rescue support
Summary: The King County Sheriff’s Office today unveiled the latest addition to its Air Support Unit, a Bell 407GXi helicopter for public safety and search and rescue missions.
Today King County Executive Dow Constantine, Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall, and Congresswoman Kim Schrier unveiled a new Air Support Unit helicopter. The Bell 407GXi helicopter is designed for quick, smooth landings in unpredictable conditions and will support a wide range of missions, including law enforcement patrol, search and rescue, wildfire response, and more.
The helicopter, known as Guardian One, allows the Sheriff’s Office to respond to emergencies throughout King County within 20 minutes.
In addition to rescue calls, Guardian One will assist with searching for missing people, locating robbery suspects and stolen vehicles, and will allow for safer interventions during police pursuits. It replaces an aging helicopter that was built in 1973.
“The Air Support Unit and Guardian One program are vital to the safety of our communities across King County and the region. They provide critical, life-saving resources in emergencies and help law enforcement to carry out operations that lead to arrests and reduce crime,” said Executive Constantine. “With strong support from our state and federal partners, along with county funding, this helicopter will serve as our primary air support aircraft for the next decade, enhancing public safety and allowing us to better respond when it matters the most.”
“The King County Sheriff’s Office Air Support Unit provides often lifesaving help not just across King County but across the entire state,” said King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall. “With such an enormous responsibility of an Air Unit, comes the necessity to make sure we keep our fleet updated with the latest and safest technology.”
“I have heard from law enforcement and first responders throughout the Eighth District regarding their concerns around safety and one message has been clear: our law enforcement agencies need the right tools to protect our communities, respond quickly to emergencies, and keep people safe,” said Congresswoman Kim Schrier (D-WA). “I am proud to have secured funding for the King County Sheriff’s helicopter air unit. As the only full-time patrol and rescue unit of its kind in Washington State, these helicopters are a lifeline for public safety and this federal funding will ensure they are equipped to serve our community in the most dire of situations.”
King County provided $5.8 million in funding for the helicopter and the state Legislature provided nearly $1 million. More than 70 law enforcement agencies from local, regional, state, and federal departments sent a letter to state lawmakers about the critical need for this new aircraft to strengthen and modernize the Air Support Unit.
The Air Support Unit flew over 480 missions in 2023.
So far this year, the unit has flown over 300 missions and assisted other agencies more than 65 times.
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