Most NYPD cars are 'beat up and broken down' due to underinvestment, Commissioner Jessica Tisch says

Almost 75% of New York City Police Department cars are beyond their normal life cycle, needing replacement at a time when the department is struggling to attract and retain officers, officials in the country's largest police department said.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch has labeled the situation "intolerable" and blamed what she called years of underinvestment in new vehicles as the reason so many of the cars, known in police jargon as "RMPs" or radio motorized patrol, need replacement.

A department spokesman said 3,500 out of an estimated 4,400 police patrol cars are over their normal lifespan of 44 months to 66 months and are suffering from system failures impacting transmissions, emission controls, air conditioning and heating.

"Cops on the street are tired of riding around in beat up and broken-down vehicles or being stuck on a foot post with no vehicle at all," Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York president Patrick Hendry said in a statement to Newsday. "The lack of adequate patrol vehicles makes our job more difficult and dangerous, and it slows us down when we’re responding to emergency calls."

'Intolerable' situation

In her recent testimony before the New York City Council, Tisch said the situation has led to "an intolerable percentage of our vehicle fleet above its useful life," a percentage which department budget expert Kristine Ryan said was around 72% of all RMPs.

Tisch indicated that a lack of funding for its vehicle replacement program is the cause of the police car crisis.

"In the last three years there has been a massive underinvestment of those vehicles," Tisch told the council's public safety committee.

Ryan, deputy commissioner for management and budget, said the high percentage of old vehicles was something she called unmanageable and noted the department was asking for $36 million to start fixing the problem. Officials believe the funding could replace 1,000 vehicles.

The NYPD's annual budget is $6.1 billion, most of it going to cover personnel expenses for about 33,000 officers.

Richard Aborn, head of the nonprofit New York City Citizens Crime Commission, said having adequate police cars is important.

"I think we owe our police officers — who put their lives on the line every day to protect us — the best and most modern of equipment and that includes the police vehicle," said Aborn, adding that an adequate number of police vehicles are needed to quickly handle 911 calls.

Chris Herrmann, an associate professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said police cars are like an office for some officers.

"Most people consider a police car a luxury item," Herrmann said. "They don't recognize and understand that [for] a lot police personnel, their office is their car. ... I don't think the general public appreciates the average time police spend in police cars."

The inventory of NYPD patrol cars is composed largely of Ford sedans. It was reported two years ago that the department was investing in a limited number of electric Ford Mustangs.

Aging fleet complaints

Rank-and-file police officers have often complained to their unions about the condition of RMPs, some of which are in service 24/7 and take a beating with potholes, jack rabbit starts and stops. Police vehicle experts noted that cars used in highway patrols experience less wear and tear but also need more maintenance as they age.

Some former officers said it wasn’t uncommon for milk crates to be used to support broken driver seats in some cars.

The NYPD has just over 9,000 vehicles of all types in its inventory, from regular RMPs to motorcycles, according to city data. On any given day, about 10% are out of service for repairs and maintenance, the data showed. 

With a shortage of newer vehicles in the precincts, one former chief noted that taking one car out of service for repairs means response times for 911 calls can increase.

City Council member Joann Ariola (R-Queens) said officers in the four precincts in her community never get enough new cars to cover for what is lost. "So when we provide extra cars, if it is four cars, they lose four cars, so it is not a net gain," Ariola said at the council hearing.

Hendry said the department should prioritize buying new police cruisers to make sure there is a working car for every police officer who needs one.

Other law enforcement experts believe the poor status of police cars is a dire situation which needs to be quickly fixed if the department wants to improve working conditions to retain officers.

When the worn out police cars are finally taken out of service, they are stripped of their emergency equipment and sold at auction under city administrative rules, the NYPD said.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story gave an incorrect estimate for the number of NYPD patrol cars.  

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.comtonynewsday

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.