Spike in de Blasio's use of NYPD helicopters, records show

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - Mayor Bill de Blasio has taken 10 trips over the last three months aboard NYPD helicopters around New York City. The rides as of late are a sharp increase over the eight trips he took since his term began in 2014. 

Most of the trips were to visit injured police officers and firefighters or to attend their funerals.

The information was provided by the City of New York to FOX 5 News following a Freedom Of Information Act request.

Mayoral spokesman Eric F. Phillips tells the NY Times that helicopter travel "has remained very rare" and that the uptick was "not the result of any concerted effort."

By and large, de Blasio gets around the congested city by motorcade.

But despite the "rarity" de Blasio has been under criticism for being tardy and the recent use of a helicopter to travel a relatively short distance.

Back in September, he took an NYPD helicopter from Brooklyn to Queens.

The Mayor and First Lady Chirlane McCray were flown from Prospect Park to Queens where they got into a car which brought them to the presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, Long Island.

According to a report in the NY Daily News, de Blasio was running late and wanted to avoid rush-hour traffic. 

When asked about the use of a helicopter to travel a relatively short distance and not opting for mass transit instead, the Mayor's office referred questions to the NYPD.

"The security and transportation of the mayor are determined by the NYPD. We do not discuss the specifics of security," said Deputy Commissioner John Miller.

Mayor Chopper Use FOIL Documents by kathy_carvajal791 on Scribd