City council approves $13 million for LAPD vehicles ahead of 2028 Olympics

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles City Council authorized the use of $13.04 million for the Los Angeles Police Department to finance 107 non-patrol vehicles for the 2028 Olympics, and called for further review of a separate $30 million request for an additional 300 patrol cars.

What we know:

In an 8-3 vote Wednesday, the council instructed the city administrative officer to approve the use of $13.04 million in Municipal Improvement Corporation of Los Angeles financing for the non-patrol vehicle package, an issue previously authorized through the 2026-27 budget process.

The council requested the CAO's Office to report back on the fiscal impacts of the separate request for 300 black-and-white patrol vehicles.

The $13.04 million would be used to purchase 30 dual-purpose vehicles, 30 unmarked investigative vehicles, seven substations and four van substations for venue command and staging, six crew-cab trucks, four multi-use dually trucks, and three stake-bed trucks for logistics. The money would also be used to acquire three transport vans, two hazardous materials response trucks, and three major incident response trucks, as well as 14 utility task vehicles and carts for venue and perimeter terrain.

Vehicles requested for 2028 Olympic Games 

Dig deeper:

The vehicles are being requested to prepare for the 2028 Olympics. A report dated July 15 and signed by LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell noted that the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games are a federally designated National Special Security Event covering an estimated 87-day operation across eight competition venues within the city and approximately 550 miles of racecourses and road-event routes.

On peak days with simultaneous events, the LAPD's venue requirement approaches 6,700 officers, of which the department can self-supply only about one-third, with the remainder filled by outside law enforcement. Across the wider region, security planners have estimated a need on the order of 24,000 officers over the operational period.

"The procurement timeline is compressed," McDonnell wrote in his report, noting that patrol vehicles carry a manufacturing lead time of approximately 18 to 20 months, and additional time for delivery and law enforcement outfitting.

"Similar time constraints exist if dual-purpose vehicles are ordered and unfitted to have emergency equipment packages. To hold the Games-dictated schedule, a funding decision is needed by late August 2026. The Department respectfully underscores the time-sensitive nature of this decision so that ordering can proceed without further compressing the delivery and outfitting windows," the report said.

In total, the LAPD needs more than 900 patrol vehicles, according to the report, which will be used across all venues in the 2028 Games. Their uses would include rapid emergency response inside venue perimeters, mobile squads moving across large operational footprints, roving patrol across venues and along the so-called Games Route Network, traffic and perimeter control, arrest and prisoner transport, and high-visibility deterrence.

The LAPD's Motor Transport Division has applied a fleet-first strategy, borrowing from units whose functions pause during the 2028 Games, retaining salvaged vehicles and maximizing existing vans, buses, all-terrain vehicles, motorcycles and e-bikes. But that still leaves a gap of 300 vehicles, according to the report. The department has outlined three possible options to finance those 300 vehicles.

By the numbers:

The first option would be to use $23.25 million in MICLA financing to purchase 300 dual-purpose SUVs. Each SUV would then require an emergency package consisting of lights, siren and radio at a cost of $26,000 per vehicle. The SUVs would be marked with an LAPD police decal so they are identifiable during the 2028 Games.

A second option would be for the department to lease the 300 patrol vehicles over a 48-month period, with an option to purchase each vehicle for $1 at the end of the term. The initial cost would be $29.43 million, with an expected interest rate of 5.90%.

The third option would be to procure the vehicles through a mix of the first and second options.

LAPD officials have encouraged the City Council and Mayor Karen Bass to proceed with the first option. The department does not anticipate reimbursement for the cost of the vehicles.

What they're saying:

"Federal funding designated for the Games is expected to be consumed by personnel and staffing costs across multiple jurisdictions. Additionally, the eligibility of vehicles is unconfirmed, and the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic games has stated it has no budget line item for law enforcement operations," according to the LAPD's report. "The department is nonetheless tracking mileage and unit-level data so that, should a reimbursement opportunity arise, the supporting documentation is ready."

The cost to taxpayers 

The other side:

Council member Eunisses Hernandez opposed the authorization of the $13 million because she said the 2028 Games were "promised as a no-cost Olympics."

"We're being asked to move forward more than $13 million in debt financing spending for 107 LAPD vehicles tied to the Games for Olympic operations. LAPD itself says there are no other existing city or department funding sources available to cover them in the timeline they say is required," Hernandez said. "So, the solution is for the city to finance it, and that's extremely concerning, especially because we know this isn't where the spending ends."

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The councilwoman estimated the total cost to the city will likely be more than $40 million just related to vehicles. She said the council still doesn't really know the full bill.

"You cannot tell Angelenos they are getting a no-cost Olympics and then come back expense-by-expense and tell us the city has to pay because the Olympics are coming," Hernandez said.

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