LAPD Is Not Using the Electric BMWs It Announced In 2016 (cbslocal.com)

mi shares a report from CBS Los Angeles: "In a 2016 well-choreographed press conference, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck got out of an electric BMW driven by Mayor Garcetti to tout the city's ambitious project [to provide electric cars for the department]," reports CBS Los Angeles. "The cost: $10.2 million, which includes charging stations." However, the cars have seen very little use. With the monthly lease payment of a little more than $418, one vehicle ends up costing taxpayers over $15 a mile to use. Some of the use they do get is improper too, alleges CBS Los Angeles, citing footage captured from several hidden cameras. "We followed someone after leaving the downtown police garage; they went to the drive-through at Yoshinoya," reports CBS. "On another day, someone drove from downtown LA to Loyola Marymount University in West LA, picked up someone who appeared to be a student, and went to lunch." The deputy chief is looking into what CBS found and says the cars are to be used for business only.

Comments

Toys for Thugs

[sexconker]

Did anyone think they'd be anything but taxpayer-funded toys for thugs?

Re:Toys for Thugs

[rtb61]

You got the thugs, you choose and trained and allowed to write up imaginary policies (law enforcement policies are not law and should not be treated as such). Choose better people, train them properly a 2 year college degree, write laws to control them so they do not run around like freaks inventing their own policies, test for psychopathy and exclude in recruitment and existing and turn trigger happy law enforcer into peace keeping first responder in any and all emergencies and trained as such (fire, medical, societal and law, actual proper law training). Get rid of insane county based policing, huge waste of administrative costs, lack of uniform policing across the state hugely disadvantaging some citizens, poorly trained and often corrupt, turned into revenue streams preying on citizens.

In most sane countries, the proper response to non-active duty use of idle vehicles, as long as it was reasonable use, as long as the vehicle was not actively needed, as long as permission was sought and idle use was approved and knowledge of the vehicle location maintained should use be necessary (logically also involving the person in question), the job is tough and high stress, perks like this improve working conditions and make for better officers as long as it is not abused, as long as the public does not hate it's law enforcers who in turn hate the public.

Want even better officers, managed negative contact hours ie for each negative contact hour, arresting someone, active confrontational policing provided an hour of non-negative contact time, visiting works place and places or residence to establish working relationships with citizens, getting to know your police and your police getting to know you, supporting, managing and securing local public recreational facilities to promote healthy social use (yeah police should actively be trying to creating healthier more peaceful communities, through positive reinforcing actions).

You want a better society you have to make it, you can not buy, sell or trade it, that's a corrupt society and it eats itself rather than producing more for it's citizens.

Re: Toys for Thugs

[jawtheshark]

I only read the headline, and I assumed it *would* be the i8. That said: the i8 is not an electric vehicle. It's a hybrid, which is electric up to 120kmh and the petrol engine kicks in for anything above that. Still decent, and I presume you can drive it as an all electric most of the time. That still makes it a hybrid.

Where I live, the police got two Teslas for police usage. The funny part is: they are not street legal, because the blue lights are aftermarket and were mounted by the police maintenance. The service that checks for road fitness refuses to give them the "ok" because that needs to be tested in a wind canal and they don't have one. So, they are scheduled to be tested abroad and to get their street legality certificate but they have been standing around unused for months.

Other brands of cars don't have this problem, because if you order a police car from them, the lights are already mounted by the manufacturer and the paperwork is ok.

Wait: A policemen used a police car to get lunch?

[Nova Express]

Stop the freaking presses!

Yes, electric BMWs are a wasteful boondoggle, but using one to get lunch doesn't even cause the police abuse meter to twitch.

If it was NYPD in the 1970s, they'd be using the cars to pimp out their own hookers to drug dealers...

The supposed reason...

[mi]

According to TFA, the Department's employees explained their reluctance to use the environment-friendly vehicles by their low mileage:

But sources say some personnel are reluctant to use the electric cars because they can only go 80-100 miles on a charge.

Strange — though low in comparison with a gasoline- or (especially) diesel-powered car, the distance seems quite sufficient for a city's police car. Do they really ever need to exceed 50 miles in a day?

Re:The supposed reason...

[msauve]

Cops are stupid. Give an electric vehicle with an 80 mile range to a maintenance worker, and watch them nap twice a day while it's recharging.

Re:The supposed reason...

[iggymanz]

looking at stats for patrol cars in Chicago and nearby (which have 2 or 3 operators per day), 120+ miles per day is normal

Two hours at 25mph is a shift?

[raymorris]

In an eight-shift, yes a cop will drive a lot more than 50 miles.

Re:Two hours at 25mph is a shift?

[whoever57]

These vehicles had the range-extender engine (REx), so daily max range is about 150 - 200 miles (depending on the battery option).

Re:Wait: A policemen used a police car to get lunc

[Xenx]

It doesn't cost $15/mile to operate. The lease payment divided by the number of miles driven on average is $15/mile.

Re:What a shock

[LynnwoodRooster]

No this is LA it is big Government. The LA budget is 8.7 billion dollars which puts it ahead of 10 States.

the much maligned obsession with BMW

[nimbius]

the LAPD did this about a decade ago when they switched motorcycles from Harley Davidson to BMW. BMW insisted the sticker price was justified as it represented increased reliability and longevity. the LA Times however found in 2016 that BMW motorcycles actually required more frequent, and more expensive maintenance. But hey, if our local rich kids and celebrities can have BMW, then god damnit so can our cops.