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Maricopa County to spend about $5 million on a new plane for MCSO

Maricopa County will spend around $5 million on a new Sheriff’s Office plane to hand over suspects arrested outside of Arizona.

Officials say the plane used by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office is almost 50 years old, with prisoners and crews sandwiched together, and the model’s fuel costs $3 per gallon.

Jim Prindyville, chief financial officer of the Sheriff’s Office, told the Supervisory Board that the new planes will improve safety and efficiency.

“We mainly go to California and Texas for most of our extradition trips, and we can pick up four, five or six prisoners.

He also told the board that the return on investment would take decades, but the new plane should last another 15-20 years. Older planes are so small that prisoners breathe in the necks of pilots and aviators.

“We’re going to bounce off these little planes and get a lot of sick prisoners, so that’s not necessarily fun,” Prindyville said.

The new plane has ample space for the crew and six to seven prisoners.

salaries of 5-15% for sheriff’s deputies, ranked positions, dispatchers and other emergency staff are also part of Maricopa County’s newly approved budget.

Also, $30 million has recently been approved as a Maricopa Detention Officer’s Salary and Retention Bonus.

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