Public Records Reveal Irvine Police Spent $153,175 on Tesla Cybertruck, Sparking Community Concerns Over Transparency and Financial Accountability in the Irvine Police Department
The Irvine Police Department recently purchased a new Cybertruck. This vehicle will be used exclusively for community engagement (like social media posts and events) and the DARE program. IPD selected the most expensive Cybertruck model. IPD would not reveal the cost when asked, directing the LA Times and Forbes to file Public Records Act requests. Those requests recently came back, revealing the truck (which Irvine PD has stated will not be used for actual investigative police work or patrol activities) cost taxpayers more than $150,000.
Many residents are questioning the necessity of such a purchase, citing high costs and what they perceive as unrestricted spending of resources by the Irvine Police Department.
It is not clear what the approval process was for this purchase, what funding sources were used for this purchase, what kind of financial oversight the police department is subject to. Irvine did recently receive state grants for the purchase of electric vehicles for use in Great Park – but in either case, purchasing a $99,990 vehicle at the highest trim, with a $20,000 upgrade to the Foundation Series, and an additional ~$21,000 of aftermarket upgrades does not seem the most prudent use of funds regardless of their origin. Many in the community are questioning the choice of a Tesla vehicle when Rivian is based in Irvine– a local business.
The City has largely been on the defensive when the vehicle comes up – even Councilmember Tammy Kim has had to put out a statement in defense of this controversial decision:
“It’s something fun to outreach, to capture the attention and imagination of the community,” Kim said. “In addition, it’s something to get people to talk about public safety and the Police Department as an example of Irvine’s sustainability goals.’ Kim further says, “It shows that our Irvine Police Department is thinking outside the box, that we’re being a bit creative in how we’re approaching the community. In 2021, the City adopted a plan to cut emissions, with reduction targets set for 2030, 2035 and 2045. Part of those plans, Kim said, is transitioning the city’s vehicles — including police cars — to electric vehicles.”
There have been several Reddit posts regarding the purchase of the Cybertrucks, some posts spanning hundreds of comments.
Many on social media have been offended by Irvine Police’s responses to these concerns on their social media– with one comment from the department saying “we wish we had a helicopter….”.
Among PRA results, text messages between City staff “knew that was coming” after the City refused to present the cost directly when prompted. Another set of text messages found one City employee calling the truck “absurd”.
1 Comments
Sharon Toji
October 19, 2024 at 3:29 pmI absolutely could not believe the police department could do this foolish thing — although to be frank, comments made by police officers to me about an important issue are, in my opinion, so strange and far out that it doesn’t surprise me after all.
Someone said “grow up”and that’s exactly what I think. It’s something a little child without much ability to reason, would do. And it doesn’t surprise me to hear Tammy Kim’s support. Look at the fact that Irvine police are supporting her. Of course putting even a penny in Elon Musk’s bank account is offensive to me. On top of that, I;m not impressed hearing it’s to support DARE. Has our police department modernized the DARE message? It’s not even offered in many schools any more, because it certainly didn’t get kids to stop trying drugs. I just read an article from someone involved with a newer type of program, because of the dangers of Fentanyl. What the research shows is that since some kids will use drugs, the most important thing is to teach them what to do in case of an overdose, how you can tell if your friend is having a bad drug experience, and how you can get help — why Narcan should be nearby whenever drugs are being used. Buy a cute little electric car like my snappy little red Bolt for much less money, and spend the money saved on a much better school anti-drug program that deals with reality. It has to start with the acknowledgment that while it would be better if kids did not use any drugs or drink alcohol or smoke at all, some will do it. So, how do you help your friends if what they are doing is dangerous? How do you make sure they live through the experience? That discussion might actually keep some kids from using drugs, but if they do, it could save someone’s life to get this information.
This happened because the police spend money on training and education and maybe props and films for an updated and effective drug program, not because they drive up in a hugely expensive strange and creepy looking vehicle.
Comments are closed.