Newport Beach to spend $3.9 million on new cars, equipment for police department

Roughly $3.9 million has been earmarked for new police cars and equipment for the Newport Beach Police Department following recent approvals from the City Council.

The bulk of the costs, $3.4 million, will be spent over a 10-year period for the purchase and implementation of body cameras, in-car video systems, tasers and related police equipment.

Authorities currently use an in-car video system that records the activities of police and those arrested in the back seat and a small number of body cameras — only four total, according to the staff report — are assigned to the peninsula enforcement team and the department’s homeless liaison.

Staff said the current systems are now at the end of their useful life and department tasers are now out of warranty and obsolete.

Additionally, the department plans to replace seven police vehicles. Authorities said all vehicles that will be replaced have exceeded 75,000 miles or are over four years old, necessitating the purchase, according to an existing council policy about city vehicle and equipment replacement.

The city will purchase seven Ford Police Interceptor Hybrid Utility vehicles at an estimated total cost of $421,661.

City staff noted in a report the cost of the replacement vehicles is higher than originally anticipated — an increase of roughly $14,982 per vehicle — due in part to inflation and continued difficulties with supply chains. Staff said the per-vehicle budget was calculated in February with estimates from previous purchases of those same cars and an increase to account for inflation.

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