Ripon's Police Department Goes Green With New Electric Vehicles

One valley police department is going as green and quiet as can be in patrolling its streets. The bad guys may not even hear the cops coming in Ripon. 

Ripon in San Joaquin County is only 5 square miles with a population of 15-thousand.

The police force rides in regular patrol cars, but many of the officers also ride electric bikes and scooters, zero emission motorcycles, natural compressed gas patrol cars, and have just received ultra-quiet electric type ATV’s to patrol the banks of the Stanislaus River.

Lt. Steve Merchant says many of the vehicles were given to them through grants, and the city’s fuel bill has stayed low.

“But also we find with electric vehicles there’s a lot less maintenance costs as well,” he says.

Merchant adds there’s still more on his wish list.

“LAPD is getting 100 BMW I3 electric cars for testing and evaluation, and obviously, I’d like to drive around in an electric BMW but I don’t think that will happen, ha ha.”