While the Los Angeles International Airport is a world class, state of the art facility, the patrol vehicles used by the officers of the LAXPD are run-down and unsafe.  Airport police deserve better than second-rate and hand-me-down squad cars to protect the millions of passengers who pass through our airport.

Our officers have to contend with broken seats, non-functioning seatbelts, rusting roofs and vehicles with well over 100,000 miles (and some with over 250,000 miles) on a daily basis.  We even had an officer experience carbon monoxide poisoning due to our aged and overdue for salvage vehicle fleet.  The condition of our patrol vehicles is not only unacceptable, but also unsafe for both our officers and the citizens they are expected to protect.  Even more concerning, there are not enough patrol cars in the fleet—officers are forced to return to the station at the end of their shift to hand off their vehicle to the officers on the next shift which highlights a lack of resources and poor planning by management.

Similarly, our motorcycle fleet is in a state of disrepair and also requires replacement.  In fact, the LAX motorcycle fleet is under supplied to the point that there are not enough motors for the number of officers assigned to those shifts.

“Why do airport police officers need to plead for functioning vehicles when working cars are essential and critical to the functions we perform throughout our massive airport complex? Our officers should be focused on protecting the travelers transiting through our airports and not worrying about whether our patrol vehicles are going to make it through a shift,” said Marshall McClain, President of the Los Angeles Airport Peace Officers Association.