MAKING GOOD USE OF SURPLUS

The U.S. military happens to have surplus helicopters it wants to give away. The Stoddard County Sheriff's Department also happens volunteer helicopter pilots, former military pilots who are interested in lending a helping hand.

Put these two together, and you have a sensible plan. The U.S. government has donated two helicopters to the sheriff's department. The department plans to use one of the copters for things like spotting fugitives, looking for marijuana fields and hunting for missing people. The other copter will be kept for spare parts.

In addition to the volunteer pilots, the department also hopes to use volunteers to get the helicopter up to snuff.

All in all, everybody comes out a winner. The government puts surplus helicopters to good use, the Stoddard County Sheriff's Department becomes the only law enforcement agency in Southeast Missouri with its own copter, which it says it will share with other agencies when they need it.