By Caleb Amick
The Herald Bulletin, Anderson, Ind.
DALEVILLE, Ind. — As small towns and police departments across Indiana encounter rising fuel and maintenance costs, many are exploring creative ways of saving money.
That was the case for Todd Bertram in 2019.
Bertram is the police chief in Bargersville, a town of nearly 9,600 residents about 20 miles south of Indianapolis. Five years ago, he was tasked with cutting costs in his department to enable the town to hire two additional police officers.
Other than officer salaries, maintenance and fuel for the department’s dozen police cruisers were its top expense. Bertram began to explore options and hit upon the idea of switching the department to all-electric vehicles.
“That’s how it got started,” Bertram said. “I took the savings to (the town council), and they let me hire the two cops.”
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Since then, Bargersville has added a dozen more Tesla Model 3s to its fleet. Bertram estimates the town is saving more than $80,000 annually in fuel costs and has added six officers to its police force since 2019.
Bargersville spends about $400 a month to charge 13 cars, compared with $3,100 a month to fuel that many Ford F-150s.
The town of Daleville reached out to Bertram, asking what a transition to electric vehicles would look like in terms of savings and other considerations.
Town Council President Adam Jones said the town spends an estimated $3,000 per month on fuel for its fleet of police cruisers.
Daleville was expected to receive its first Tesla on Monday, according to Police Chief James King, who along with Jones has spearheaded the town’s research into the new technology.
The town’s first Tesla police cruiser will be issued to an officer with a K-9 who uses a police vehicle the most frequently. If the experiment yields less than desirable savings, the initiative will be discontinued, according to Jones.
If town officials are satisfied, the police department’s fleet will gradually be replaced with Teslas. Each vehicle is expected to cost from $40,000 to $50,000.
The first Tesla will be customized with police equipment and outfitted for the K-9, which will bring the overall cost to an estimated $67,000.
The town council decided to use $20,000 of its $200,000 in Economic Development Income Tax (EDIT) funds, which are collected through a state income tax, to help purchase the car. The remaining costs are expected to be covered with funds from the town’s redevelopment commission and a $5,000 grant from a local concrete firm.
At a recent town council meeting, Jones addressed a concern voiced by one of the town’s residents that the Tesla likely will be replaced well before the battery reaches the end of its eight-year lifespan. Each Tesla, he said, comes with an eight-year, 120,000-mile warranty.
King said the department usually trades in its cars when they reach the same mileage. Doing so, he said, helps keep maintenance costs down.
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