(Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES- The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department will be getting a virtual fleet of electric Mini Coopers in an experiment to improve how the organization operates.
The plan to give 17 electric-powered Minis to the Sheriff's Department was approved Tuesday by the LA County Board of Supervisors.
The diminutive Mini Coopers wouldn't be replacements for horse-power-heavy squad cars, but would be used mainly at administrative offices, in specialized units, for recruitment, and for volunteers, says Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore.
Whitmore called the Mini addition an alternate way to improve Sheriff's Department operations, saying, "It's clean-energy, it's cost-effective and it could prove to be a boon for the county."
Mini USA, a subsidiary of BMW, will be donating the cars, and will also be footing maintenance for the vehicles and their charging stations.
The cars will come at little cost to the Sheriff's Department, who will pay only $10 a month as a processing fee.
The Sheriff's Department will be providing feedback to the company on how the Minis drive on and handle Los Angeles County Roads.
The Mini Coopers will add to the LA County Sheriff's force of Ford Crown Victorias, Chevy Caprices and Dodge Chargers.
The plan to give 17 electric-powered Minis to the Sheriff's Department was approved Tuesday by the LA County Board of Supervisors.
The diminutive Mini Coopers wouldn't be replacements for horse-power-heavy squad cars, but would be used mainly at administrative offices, in specialized units, for recruitment, and for volunteers, says Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore.
Whitmore called the Mini addition an alternate way to improve Sheriff's Department operations, saying, "It's clean-energy, it's cost-effective and it could prove to be a boon for the county."
Mini USA, a subsidiary of BMW, will be donating the cars, and will also be footing maintenance for the vehicles and their charging stations.
The cars will come at little cost to the Sheriff's Department, who will pay only $10 a month as a processing fee.
The Sheriff's Department will be providing feedback to the company on how the Minis drive on and handle Los Angeles County Roads.
The Mini Coopers will add to the LA County Sheriff's force of Ford Crown Victorias, Chevy Caprices and Dodge Chargers.
