Thanks to the generosity of one local resident, the Gate Mills Ohio Police Department now has a Tesla Model S in its fleet of police cruisers.
The idea of electric police cruisers in the community was raised with Police Chief Gregg Minichello by a local resident. After saying he had been looking into the police force switching to electric, but admitting they’re not quite there yet, that resident decided to speed the process along and donate his 2019 Model S.
“It just got to the point that he really wanted to do something. We talked about it and he said that he was interested in donating this particular vehicle to the department,” Minichello told WKYC.
With just 7,000 miles (11,265km) on the odometer, the Model S has already been outfitted with police department livery. Emergency lights and all the necessary equipment will also be added to the vehicle, although it won’t be as simple as the typical internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle conversion.
“Lights in the windows. Glass top roof, so we can’t put them on the roof. Put them on the back window and on the side of the car. It will be outfitted as much as we can,” said Minichello.
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The conversion plus the installation of charging infrastructure is all being paid for by the generous donor, who wishes to remain anonymous. The car is expected to be on duty by the end of the summer.
