LINN 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 the mayor, had some discussion about that, and even looked into buying an older car to fix what we had. 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 70 miles a day, less than 12,000 miles a year, this car would last us a long time, and a Will be in the pilot program. We just thought, we’ll see what happens with it,” Kristian 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’re probably going to have to go through the current gas prices.” Together we can make it, we can easily make it within a year,” Mayor Jeff Davis said.
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 can run out of gas, an electric car can run out of charge. It’s up to the officer to make sure the cars are gas, or charged, at the start of the shift. We don’t run out of charge. We’re going to charge priority,” Chief Christian said.
The chief says he thinks Lynn Creek is the first department in Missouri state 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 already start seeing this car patrolling the streets.
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