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Linn Creek Adds Tesla Model 3 to Police Fleet

All News RSS Feed Community Events - News Tuesday, March 29th, 2022

Evil-doers beware, the Linn Creek Police have a new crime-stopping tool in their arsenal. The city council approved the purchase of a Tesla Model 3 patrol vehicle, which went into service Monday. Linn Creek Chief of Police, Jeff Christiansen, says the purchase simply made sense.

“When I started doing my research, on a replacement squad car for the PD, I was really looking at the longevity of a vehicle,” said Christiansen. “I just saw that we were going to have to do, probably, some substantial maintenance in the future. So when you look at the Tesla, and the technology that it has, in the long run, we’re going to be saving a lot, not only in the fuel costs but in maintenance costs.”

The car can accelerate from zero to 60 in just over three seconds, which Chief Christiansen tells KRMS will substantially decrease the time required to safely make a traffic stop.

“If we see a violator we’re going to be able to pull out into traffic and close the gap on that traffic stop a lot quicker than we are with the Charger or Ford Explorer,” said Christiansen. “We’ll be getting up onto that violator and getting them pulled over that much quicker, making it a safer stop not only for our officers but for the general public as well.”

R-Veterinary, located just across Hwy-54 from the police station, has granted the Linn Creek Police priority access to their Tesla charging stations, which are powered by a large solar farm on the property. That access, while also being eco-friendly, eliminates any fears that the vehicle will run out of charge while out on patrol. 

Linn Creek Mayor, Jeff Davis, tells KRMS that long-term reliability and savings were major factors in making the decision.

“For financial reasons, officer safety, maintenance costs, and of course the fuel costs, this was all around a great choice for us,” said Mayor Davis.

The all-black Tesla gets up to 350 miles per charge and was decorated with reflective ‘Ghost Graphic’ Vinyl Decals which makes it more visible to drivers at night.

Chief Christiansen says, as far as he knows, they are the first department in Missouri to add a Tesla to their patrol fleet.

All News RSS Feed Community Events - News Tuesday, March 29th, 2022

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