If you’re speeding through Paragould, you might end up in a traffic stop with one of their new electric patrol cars.
The Paragould Police Department announced the addition of two 2022 Tesla Model 3’s over the weekend on social media. The purchases were made, “in an effort to save taxpayer money and promote green alternatives,” the department said.
The Tesla Model 3s are a fully equipped patrol vehicles capable of most aspects of police use according to the department. Tesla’s website says the Model 3 can accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in as little as 3.1 seconds. By comparison, 0-60 for a Ford Intercepter sedan can hope to achieve about 5.7 seconds.
The Model 3s are projected to save over $25,000 each during the lifespan of the vehicles compared to Paragould’s current patrol use Ford Interceptors, the department said. The cars can go an estimated 358 miles on a single charge, Tesla’s website said.
Photo courtesy the Paragould Police Department
May of this year? Why have those cars been sitting in the same place, not moving for months, at a police officer’s house in Paragould? Inquiring minds want to know.