LARGO, Fla. — The Largo Police Department is making a switch to save them money but also do its part to help save the environment.
The department gave ABC Action News a first look at its brand new electric motorcycle.
The city purchased two of the motorcycles and they already have more the 22-hybrid SUVs in their fleet.
The department's goal is to have all of the motorcycles and other light-duty vehicles on alternative fuel by 2030. The city has the same goal for all of its city vehicles.
"So our police department has been trained to be at the cutting edge of providing public safety to our community," Laura Thomas, Sustainability Program Administrator in Largo says. "This is a wonderful addition, because not only does it support our sustainability efforts, but it also helps to improve air quality in our environment and in our community. So when our officers are out, patrolling and in the community or at special events, they're actually helping to ensure public health throughout the process."
The move is actually part of a bigger initiative in the city. Sustainability is a key objective for city leaders.
The city installed charging stations around the city that are free to use. Most are level 2 charging stations but a level 3 quick charge is available at Largo Central Park.
In fact, since 2019 the stations in Largo have been used more than 4,000 times.
"I think this is really important because it's not only something that saves us money, and enables us to spend our dollars wisely elsewhere in the community, but it also improves local air quality. And that's one of the biggest determinants of public health specifically for our most vulnerable community members. And so it's really going to help us not only advance our initiatives internally, but it's really helping us be a leader in the Tampa Bay region since we are the first in the Tampa Bay region to have these all-electric police motorcycles," explains Thomas.
