A California city has delivered five decommissioned police cars to a small town in Mississippi for $1 apiece.
Officials from Manhattan Beach, Calif., and Pickens, Miss., gathered in front of the Manhattan Beach Police Department last Wednesday to celebrate the donation, which helps the Pickens Police Department meet the needs of its officers. Prior to the donation, the 896-person town had just two vehicles for seven officers.
“As mayor, our top priority is the safety of our communities. Here in Manhattan Beach, we have been able to make strategic investments in public safety. As a result of a recent purchase of five new police vehicles for our department, we were able to help another community in need,” Manhattan Beach Mayor Richard Montgomery said. “As a former police officer, I understood Mayor Moore’s plead for help. Without vehicles, she cannot deploy her officers. Manhattan Beach prides itself on being a community that steps up when there is a need.”
Pickens Mayor Paulette Moore has been vocal about the police department’s needs for resources since being elected in 2021. Back in January, Moore and Montgomery met at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C., where the idea was hatched.
Four months later, the Manhattan Beach City Council approved the donation of the decommissioned vehicles following the purchase of five new MBPD vehicles.
“I am very appreciative of the generosity of Mayor Montgomery and the Manhattan Beach City Council to help us keep our town safe by assisting with the acquisition of these much-needed police vehicles,” Moore said. “I am excited to be part of this partnership between two cities and two police departments. The Pickens Police Department is eternally grateful to the Manhattan Police Department for these essential resources to assist in the safety of the town of Pickens.”
The transportation of the vehicles was made possible through donations by Chevron, Skechers, LAcarGuy, and the Westdrift Hotel.
