Lynn Creek, Mo. (KY3) – The Lynn Creek Police Department has a new tool when it comes to fighting crime. The department recently purchased a Tesla Model 3 patrol vehicle after approval from the city council.
Tesla went into service on Monday. Chief Jeff Christiansen says the department considered several options before making a decision.
“I sat down and researched the new Ford Explorer Interceptor, Dodge Chargers. I went to Meyer, had some discussion about that, and even went to buy an old car to fix what we had. Consider it. Do,” Kristiansen said.
Then came the idea of Tesla.
“It’s got an eight year, 120,000 mile warranty on the battery alone. I thought we were going to be going 70 miles a day, less than 12,000 miles a year, this car will last us a long time, and a pilot program I just thought, we’ll see what happens with it,” Christian said.
Christiansen calls it a good investment. The mayor of Lynn Creek agrees.
“It’s a good investment for our city. As far as the cost savings of routine maintenance, upkeep, fuel savings, it’s about $3,000, it’ll be more than one Explorer. We’ll probably have to forego current gas prices.” Together we can make it, we can easily make it within a year,” said Mayor Jeff Davis.
Lynn Creek is a small community with a population of less than 300 people. So running out of power is not really a concern.
“A regular car may run out of gas, an electric car may run out of charge. It is up to the officer to make sure the cars are gas or charged at the start of the shift. We are not out of charge. We prioritize Going to charge,” Chief Christian said.
The chief says he thinks Lynn Creek is the first state department in Missouri to have a Tesla as a patrol vehicle, funded by taxpayers.
This car has everything that a regular police vehicle would, including the printer, laptop, and the lights already on. If you are in the Lynn Creek area, you should start seeing this car patrolling the streets.
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