Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck made a surprising entrance at the Los Angeles Police Museum when he stealthily zipped into the parking lot on a souped-up, racing-style, all-electric motorcycle, say the Associated Press. An avid motocross racer, Beck parked the bike just yards away from where retired police cars from the 1930s to 1950s rest. The department is testing two types of electric motorcycles as part of an effort to increase efficiency, decrease its carbon footprint and cut costs.
Such electric bikes are already used by a growing number of police departments from New York to Oregon, and around the world, including in Bogota, Colombia and Hong Kong. In Los Angeles, it’s different, sleeker look than the burlier gas-powered BMW and Harley Davidson motorcycles that the department uses today. The department has been testing police versions of the $24,995 “Empulse LE” by Brammo, Inc., based in Ashland, Or., and the $17,945 “DS” by Zero Motorcycles, based in Scotts Valley, Ca. Those costs compare to the roughly $35,000 for a fully-equipped LAPD Harley or BMW