Indiana police department swaps Dodge Charger for Tesla Model 3

When you hear a news reporter say about the Tesla Model 3, “It’s what the Bargersville Police Department believes is the new future for all city and local law enforcement,” that’s a segment you pay attention to. Bargersville, Indiana — a town of about 9,000 people, 20 miles due south of Indianapolis, with 12 police officers — just added a Model 3 that was gutted and rebuilt to police spec to the fleet, replacing one of their Dodge Chargers. Officers only unveiled the electric sedan two days ago, and it sounds like the love affair did not take long to bloom.

Even though the Model 3 costs more than the Charger, the department said the EV will save taxpayers money. The Tesla runs $39,500, a police-issue Charger costs a police department $25,000 according to figures given to the Indianapolis Star. The Daily Journal said this Model 3 ran $41,945, the Charger $33,612. No matter the differential, the Model 3 is expected to be much cheaper to run. The Dodge apparently requires more than $8,000 in upkeep every year just for gas, oil, and insurance, the gas alone totaling $7,125. The department’s figures show Tesla will need just $1,728 in electricity, and one officer said that even the replacement windshield wipers are less expensive on the Tesla than the Dodge. Over a six-year period, Bargersville PD expects to save at least $20,600, with the savings beginning in the third year. 

The Model 3 brings stealth to crime-fighting, too. Bargersville PD public information officer Jeremy Roll explaining how police could “come upon something a little bit more discreetly” in the Tesla, a feature that will come in handy due to having “a lot of back alleys in the old town.” Officer comfort gets a boost, too, since personnel can pre-heat the Tesla’s cabin in the winter, something they can’t do with their Chargers. On top of that, Police Chief Todd Bertram told CBS4, “With Tesla, the performance is better than the cars we are currently driving. It’s amazing, it’s smooth, it’s powerful, it handles great.”

Bargersville PD wants to add four more Teslas to its fleet, and wants to use the money saved to hire more officers. The road to Robocop now runs through Bargersville.