Check out Sacramento Police Department’s newest set of blades - the 505 Jet Ranger X helicopter

The Sacramento Police Department showed off its new helicopter, the first law enforcement-configured Bell 505 Jet Ranger X, on social media Tuesday.

The department wrote on Twitter: “ICYMI: SPD has a brand new pair of wings (blades)! SPD is the first agency to fly the #505jetranger & the new technology allows the pilot to orbit 300-400 ft higher, which means for a quieter flight over the neighborhoods below! #sacpd #505jetrangerx #sacramento.”

The new helicopter replaces one of two 1970s-era military aircraft used by the city police department since 1997, the Sacramento Bee reported in an article last year . That pair of helicopters logged 1,500 flight hours, responded to 4,000 calls for service and helped arrest 400 people on a yearly basis, according to a city council staff report from February 2017.

As equipped, the new Bell helicopter cost about $2.5 million, although a majority of the price was paid for through state and federal grants and criminal asset seizures. Extra police equipment accounted for $1.1 million of the total price.

Rotorandwing.com reported that Bell outfitted the chopper with lots of law enforcement-style equipment. The 505 Jet Ranger features a 15-inch monitor with moving map system, loudhailer, MX-10 electro-optical/infrared sensor and a Trakka Beam searchlight, the website reported.

“The ergonomic seats allow the pilot and tactical flight officer to fly for hours comfortably, and the large windows allow for greater visibility that makes searching for suspects and missing persons easier,” Sgt. Randy Van Dusen of the Sacramento Police Department’s Air Operations Team told AINonline.com, which reports on aviation.

“The Bell 505 will be invaluable in critical calls for service when minutes matter and will allow us to best protect the citizens of Sacramento,” he further explained to rotarandwing.com. “The ergonomic seats allow the pilot and tactical flight officer to fly for hours comfortably, and the large windows allow for greater visibility that makes searching for suspects and missing persons easier.”

This story was originally published January 29, 2019 at 8:07 AM.