Both the local and LAPD leadership talked boldly in 2016 about greener practices and technologies, with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti telling the Los Angeles Times we “should be thinking green in everything we do.” The LA Times reported that the BMW i3 fleet, made up of 100 cars on lease by LAPD, would cost about $1.4 million over three years—$387 a month per car, according to the story. An additional $1.5 million went into infrastructure investment for electric cars.
An investigation by CBS Los Angeles found the cars, meant to be used for non-emergency purposes like outreach and police business instead of patrols or chases, haven’t really been used at all.
Records searched by CBS Los Angeles found that the LAPD’s BMWs, many of which have been in use for more than a year, had between a few hundred and a few thousand miles on them. A car that had an in-service date of May 27, 2016 only had 400 miles on it at the time of the investigation
