The Leon County Sheriff's Office in Tallahassee, Florida has signed a contract for a public safety-configured Bell 505 JetRanger X.

“Our aviation unit is responsible for operating over the City of Tallahassee and in the darkest areas of the county including the Apalachicola National Forrest where visibility is extremely limited. It is critical we have highly advanced technology on board to ensure the safety of our pilots,” said Lieutenant Lee Majors, aviation section commander, Leon County Sheriff's Office.

“Leon County has an advanced aviation unit that is responsible for a broad range of critical missions including aerial searching for lost or missing persons, aircraft and boats, SWAT team deployment and storm damage assessment,” said Doug Schoen, managing director, North America. “The addition of the highly customised Bell 505 will allow the aviation unit to continue serving and protecting the citizens of the greater Tallahassee area.”

With a speed of 125 kts and useful load of 1,500 pounds, the Bell 505 is designed to be safe and easy to fly while providing significant value to the operator.