If you’ve ever wanted to get your hands on a used Lathrop Police Services vehicle or police motorcycle, now might be your chance.
Earlier this month the Lathrop City Council signed off on a request by Lathrop city staff to designate a number of vehicles that are no longer used for everyday law enforcement purposes as surplus – four 2014 Chevrolet Caprice sedans, a 2007 Dodge Charger, and a 2016 BMW R 1200 RTP motorcycle. The vehicles, which have reached the end of their life cycle for routine police business or the cost of repairing them exceeds their value and all are scheduled to be sold an auction.
Because the vehicles have a combined value of more than $5,000, the Lathrop City Council had to approve their designation as surplus so that they could either be disposed of, donated, or sold to an auction to offset the cost of the vehicles – all of which were purchased by the City of Lathrop for official police use per the contract with the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office.
Certain law enforcement accessories – like touchscreens, light bars, and in-car camera systems will be removed before the vehicles are taken to the auction facility and recycled by the sheriff’s office for other law enforcement purposes.
Over the last several months Lathrop Police Services has added a number of new vehicles to its fleet including a full-sized SUV which are becoming popular for law enforcement use because of the wider wheelbase and more storage capacity. A pickup truck was also purchased, and the council also approved the purchase of a Tesla Model 3 that will be used for patrol purposes.
While Tesla builds parts for that specific vehicle at a plant in Lathrop and just recently built a massive, 800,000 square-foot building behind what was the Pilkington Glass Plant, the city purchased the vehicle directly from the company and believe that they will ultimately save money in the long run on things like maintenance and fuel costs.
To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.
