The Leon County Sheriff’s Office is quietly electrifying its fleet, deploying undercover Teslas to the streets as part of a move toward sustainability. The initiative began in 2020, and while budget constraints and inflation present hurdles, the LCSO is making strides toward a greener presence. The Sheriff’s office is aiming to reduce its carbon footprint, just like both the city of Tallahassee and Leon County.
The LCSO’s transition aligns with broader local efforts: the county is targeting 30% electric vehicles by 2030, while the city operates an existing fleet of electric buses. The Sheriff’s Office, while a separate entity, is embracing sustainability. “The sheriff(‘s office) is its own entity and the sheriff can do and choose the path that he wants to choose, regardless of what the city or the county (do), but we don’t have that type of sheriff,” said Timothy Coxwell, fleet management division director for LCSO, headed by Sheriff Walt McNeil since 2017.
Since 2020, the LCSO has built an electric fleet that incorporates Teslas and hybrids. Most are undercover units, allowing the fleet to save money on fuel. Proponents, including Coxwell, emphasize the environmental and economic advantages of these vehicles. Electric vehicles are seen as reducing emissions while also offering lower long-term costs due to fewer moving parts and quieter operation.
However, challenges remain. These include limited charging infrastructure, longer charging times than gasoline vehicles, and high upfront costs – though improvements are continually being made. Overall, as battery technology advances and renewable energy use grows, electric vehicles offer a better and more sustainable alternative to internal combustion engine vehicles, according to Coxwell.
Coxwell spearheaded the transition by garnering support from administration, gathering information from other police departments such as the New York Police Department, even sending news clips of electric vehicles being put to work at other agencies across the country. After, McNeil gave Coxwell the green light to purchase the first electric vehicles and a charging station.
The Tesla vehicles were selected primarily for cost-effectiveness, said Coxwell. “We got the Tesla because it was the only EV available to us in 2021, so this is not an Elon Musk thing,” Coxwell said, referencing the limited options and the brand’s charging network. The LCSO fleet also includes hybrid cars from Toyota and Chevrolet.
Despite his ambition, Coxwell acknowledges the realities of budget limitations when trying to convert the entirety of the LCSO’s fleet to electric vehicles. “A lot of the funding is tied to whether or not you’re a taxing authority and we’re a constitutional (authority) … we receive our funding as an appropriation from the Board of County Commissioners,” Coxwell said. “We can’t necessarily always do it, but the county or the city could, and sometimes we may have to piggyback their processes.”
Along with the battle of the budget, LCSO is feeling the effects of inflation when it comes to vehicle purchasing. These efforts are a marathon and not a sprint.
“The primary focus of the sheriff’s office is not sustainability in fleet management. The primary focus is law enforcement, preserving life, protecting property, responding to calls for service. So (sustainability) is a secondary role that the agency can give back to the community.”
