Winnipeg mayor raises concern after police helicopter used in movie shoot

Mayor Brian Bowman has raised concerns after police flew the Air-1 helicopter to La Salle for use in a movie shoot.

On Friday, theWinnipeg Police Service confirmed the $3.5 million helicopter was flown to the community 20 kilometres south of Winnipeg in December, to be used in filming The Parts You Lose, starring Breaking Bad'sAaron Paul.

A spokesperson for the mayor said Bowman has forwarded his concerns to Winnipeg Police Service Chief Danny Smyth, asking for clarification as to how the decision was made and what policies police have around allocation and deployment of the chopper in circumstances like this.

"Allocation and deployment of police resources are operational decisions of the police service," the spokesperson said in an email to CBC News. "The police helicopter is a very specialized piece of equipment, the use of which should be limited to supporting police and public safety operations."

On Friday the WPStold CBCNews thetotal flying time was 72 minutes, and it was never more than a few seconds from city limits.

Police also said the request to use the helicopter came from the city's manager of film and special events, andthecost of contracting out the helicopter were "assessed at a cost recovery basis only." The police service addedAir-1 wasn't used to carry passengers, cargo, or lift anything for the shoot.

The annual operating cost of the helicopter in 2016 was $1.9 million.