Staff Report
City Council
Item No. 4.R
Meeting
Date:
September 10, 2025
From: George Crum, Police Chief
Title: Purchase of a 2026 Chevy Blazer PPV EV from Jessup Motors for the Police School Resource Officer
RECOMMENDATION:
To approve the purchase of one (1) 2026 Chevy Blazer PPV EV from Jessup Motors and associated costs for unfitting for the Police Department, School Resource Officer, in the total amount of $82,376.67.
BACKGROUND:
The Police Department School Resource Officer (SRO) provides daily campus coverage, student and staff safety, and community engagement primarily at Cathedral City High School.
The SRO has an assigned marked police unit for this assignment which is used daily between trips to Cathedral City High School and other Palm Springs Unified School District schools and offices. The current police unit is a 2012 Chevy Impala PPV (Police Pursuit Vehicle). With the age of the vehicle, maintenance costs have increased due to limited availability of parts and electrical components. Parts for the emergency lighting are no longer manufactured.
Staff has identified the Chevrolet Blazer PPV EV (Electric Vehicle) as an appropriate replacement that meets police pursuit capability requirements, while advancing the City’s sustainability and fuel-cost reduction goals. Jessup Motors has provided pricing for the specified PPV EV configuration requested. There was no on-hand inventory of the Chevy Blazer PPV EV when searching other vendors.
DISCUSSION:
The Police Department staff have analyzed EV’s over the last two years and have attended Electric Vehicle demonstrations with various manufacturers and vendors. With the extreme desert heat, the reliability and distance were always in question when evaluating different vehicles that were not specifically manufactured for police duty.
In 2024, General Motors (Chevrolet) released the first fully electric, police-pursuit rated SUV (Chevy Blazer PPV EV). Staff was able to procure a demo Chevy Blazer PPV EV to be test driven by staff. It was shown to be reliable, easy to operate and provided enough room for the School Resource Officer’s equipment and supplies. While the range of the vehicle was not ideal for a full 12-hour patrol shift, the short distance traveled to the high school would not be an issue with the Blazer EV, based upon the driving done in the demo.
Further, the Cathedral City High School parking lot is equipped with several vehicle charging stations should the need arise to charge.
Having this vehicle assigned to a specific, short-range assignment, will allow staff to evaluate the feasibility for potential future patrol use.
Transitioning the police unit to an electric, pursuit rated vehicle, provides several operational benefits, particularly for SRO deployment:
Operational performance: the Blazer PPV EV is specifically designed for law- enforcement duty with pursuit rated components, enhanced braking and suspension, and police specific interior features suitable for radios and equipment required for campus response.
Ideal SRO duty cycle: short, frequent trips between school sites align well with EV range and charging patterns.
Lower operating costs: EV charging costs are typically lower and more stable than gasoline; electric powertrains require less routine maintenance lowering operating costs and reducing downtime.
Sustainability: zero tailpipe emissions support clean air standards.
This vehicle will be ordered from Jessup Motors as there is no available inventory at other dealerships searched. Jessup Motors provided a competitive quote that includes the equipment requested by staff. The ordering window is currently open and will be fulfilled by early 2026. The vehicle will be upfitted with emergency lighting and equipment by Dana Safety Supply. The vehicle will be marked and have the same decal and markings as a standard patrol unit.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The fiscal impact for this purchase is $82,915.37 to include cost of the vehicle, upfitting costs, installation of vehicle decals and sales tax. Funding for this vehicle will come from the Equipment Replacement Fund (611) and was included in the Fiscal Year 2025/2026 budget.
FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN:
Goal B: Community Investment
Action B-19: Develop fleet management policies to establish vehicle replacements and utilization standards.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Jessup Motors Chevy Blazer PPV EV Quote
2. Chevy Blazer PPV EV Spec Sheet
3. Dana Safety Supply Emergency Equipment Quote
4. SoCal Branding Quote