NEW ORLEANS — A letter from the New Orleans Inspector General’s Office warns the New Orleans Police Department that after-market tires and rims purchased for ranking officers’ newly purchased cop cars, violated the law.
The OIG complaint says that the NOPD used public funds to purchase the specialized chrome/silver rims, totaling $42,270, to replace the original black rims included on the new police package vehicles assigned to NOPD Commanders.
The OIG says the NOPD was unable to provide documents for the request and approval to use public funds to purchase the tires and rims from NAPA Auto Parts and that purchase appears to be a violation of the State contract.
According to the letter, during the OIG’s questioning the Interim Assistant CAO of Operations told investigators the shiny new rims were purchased and installed to make the new cop cars appear “less like police vehicles” and provide them with a “smoother ride.”
The OIG also noted that the City had an existing contract with Southern Tire Mart for fleet tire services at the time the tires and rims were purchased.
The purchase also violated Louisiana Public Bid Law which says any purchase over $20,000 should be put out for sealed public bid which did not happen according to the OIG.
The aftermarket tires could cause serious safety issues the OIG says.
The complaint points out to the NOPD that the newly purchased police vehicles were equipped with Goodyear Eagle Enforcer All Weather tires, which are rated for a max speed of 149 mph and are better suited for high-speed pursuits.
The tires purchased with the aftermarket rims are Continental SureContact LX tires, which are rated for a much lower 118 mph speed and could “wear faster make the car handle poorly on the road, and may cause accidents,” the complaint says.
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