Residents of a small municipality on Vancouver Island could be the first in Canada to be arrested and hauled away in a Tesla Model 3 police car.
Oak Bay Police Chief Ray Bernoties announced this week his department has been approved to purchase their first electric police cruiser in 2021. To go along with the announcement on Twitter, Bernoties included what may be the best photoshopped Tesla police cruiser we have ever seen.
We're purchasing our 1st electric marked police vehicle in 2021. We have an admin car (unmarked) that is electric but we may be the 1st (or among the 1st) Police Depts in BC to use a marked electric vehicle. Our goal is to turn our fleet electric as we replace vehicles over time. pic.twitter.com/qhcGs0sYUb
— Ray Bernoties (Police Chief – Oak Bay Police Dept) (@ray_oak) December 2, 2020
According to the police chief, the department already has an unmarked car used for administrative duties, but this new car will be the first to be used as a daily patrol vehicle.
A specific make or model hasn’t been decided upon yet, but Bernoties said they will consider all the unique needs of a police department when selecting one.
“The vehicle needs to be able to carry a great deal of gear, with extra racks, a computer [and] a thick plexiglass screen between the back seat and the front. However, we’re focused on not letting these challenges stop us from doing what we believe is the right thing,” he told Victoria News.
Related: City of Eden Prairie buys Tesla Model Y for use as police cruiser
With a population of less than 20,000 and being the second-least dangerous community in all of Canada, the police chief said the department wants to “show leadership” and make environmentally friendly decisions.
This won’t be their only electric police cruiser purchase, with Bernoties saying they plan to switch to electric when ever they need to replace one of their cruisers, which happens about once each year.
