JAN. 2025. Blues Vol 41 No. 1

South Pasadena PD, in

South Pasadena PD, in Southern California has become the first in the nation toreplace its police patrol cars with electric vehiclesWhile some agencies may strugglewith payload limitations of aBEV patrol vehicle, in New Yorkofficers don’t carry as much gear,Martinez points out. Also, the NYPDpatrol units did not get upfittedwith a cage or push bumpers, onlythe light bar on top. So, they did notsacrifice payload because of upfits.The Mach-E has found successas an NYPD patrol unit, but MayorBill de Blasio originally wanted thedepartment to buy Tesla cars. Theagency tested a Tesla Model 3 thatwas assigned to highway patrol.“The biggest complaint with theTesla is that it’s nothing like a regularvehicle. The dashboard is in thecenter of the vehicle, not in front ofthe driver’s eyes. So, when the copswere driving the vehicle, they hadto constantly take their eyes off theroad to see the dashboard,” Martinezsays.“We got the test of the Mach-E. Iliked it,” says Martinez. “I was impressedwith the vehicle. It operatedlike a regular vehicle.”That basically is how NYPD endedup with Mach-E patrol vehicles insteadof Tesla patrol vehicles.However, now two-and-a-halfyears after the purchase, 20 to 25Mach-E patrol units are not beingused because there is no place toplug them in to charge, according toMartinez.“If you ever come to Manhattan,you’ll see that patrol cars park twoor three blocks from the precinct,because there’s no parking, evenfor a police car,” explains Martinez,adding that most of the precinctswere built in the 1920 or 1930s.NOT AN EASY SOLUTIONMartinez points out that just likeany other ICE or hybrid patrol vehicle,the fully-electric ones mustmeet the mission, however, acrossthe country that mission has greatdiversity. A state trooper covers alot of mileage, while in New YorkDelivered to your inboxevery month.officers can extend battery rangethrough regenerative braking becauseof heavy traffic and carryinglittle gear.Will an agency patrol with oneofficer and limited gear, or willthere be two officers, such as inthe case of field training or specialdetails? Some communities havecharging infrastructure, while othersdo not.Eventually, most agencies couldpossibly find BEVs to be beneficialin administrative roles, but it willtake the perfect mix of a variety ofdynamics to make them practicalfor patrol. Only time, and location,will tell.ABOUT THE AUTHORWayne Parham is Senior Editorat POLICE Magazine and PoliceMag.com and has more than three decadesof experience covering publicsafety and government. REPRINTEDFROM POLICEMAG.COMCLICK HERE FOR YOURFREE SUBSCRIPTION80 The BLUES - JANUARY ‘25

The BLUES - JANUARY ‘25 81