The San Francisco Police Union is putting out the call for new cop cars, claiming its current fleet is old, unsafe, and unreliable.

For the union, it is hard for them to believe the city does not have the money to supply the police force with a proper fleet.

An odometer shows a San Francisco police car with over 129,000 miles on it. Another photo of a patrol car shows part of the steering wheel is missing. And the outside of a black and white is dinged and dented.

The president of the San Francisco Police Union says the police’s fleet is dilapidated.

“The lights and sirens don’t work, the computers don’t work, the loudspeakers don’t work,” Martin Halloran said.

With the city’s budget up for debate in April and May, the police union wants the board of supervisors to prioritize repairing and replacing the department’s fleet.

“Give those officers the proper equipment to do their jobs,” Halloran said.

Last year’s proposed budget included $8 million to replace 140 marked and unmarked cars over two years.

But the department still ran into problems last June during the deadly shooting at the UPS building when responding officers’ 2009 Ford Crown Victoria would not start.

And they used a citizen’s car to respond.

The president of the police union tells KRON4 this issue goes beyond officers safety concerns.

They won’t be able to help people. 

“That problem has not been fixed last year, or the year before, and unless they make some serious changes, the problem will continue,” Halloran said.

The mayor’s office tells KRON4 all city departments have submitted their budgets, and they are under consideration.

The priority this year is closing a $200 deficit.

Then, a focus on clean streets, homelessness, and public safety.

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