LAPD Needs Military Motorcycles to Tactically Harass Homeless People

The Los
Angeles Police Department (LAPD) recently bought a couple of
military-grade motorcycles. The bikes are electric, silent, a sleek
shade of all-black, and the LAPD can’t wait to use them to harass
homeless people.

“There are major benefits to incorporating these environmentally
friendly motorcycles. It costs less than 50 cents to charge
compared to using gallons of gas, maintenance is simple, and the
community appreciates how quiet they are,”
said LAPD Off-Road Unit Officer Steve Carbajal in a press
statement about the new Zero MMX motorcycles. “Most importantly,
our officers have an added tactical advantage while on patrol.”

Where exactly do LAPD officers find themselves employing this
new tactical advantage? “They’re able to sneak up on some of the
homeless encampments and some of the illegal activities in the
hillsides,” Lt. Andy Neiman
explained on Monday. He assures that “the community loves” the
bikes, because they don’t make “that whiny noise that is commonly
associated with the off-road bikes.”

On the bright side, at least the Zero bikes being used in this
pilot program “cost roughly $17,945 without additional department
modifications, compared with the approximately $35,000 for a
fully-equipped LAPD Harley or BMW,”
according to CBS. Though, the bikes need to be plugged in for
seven hours to fully charge and then they only last two hours on
the road.

This is another eyebrow-raising case of continued militarization
of domestic law enforcement, particularly within the already-armed-to-the-teeth
LAPD. Wired
describes the Zero MMX as a “special forces-specific bike,” and
that’s no exaggeration.  “We developed it for the U.S.
military. I’m not allowed to comment on the specifics, but we have
a contract with the military, and they are testing it,” a
representative of Zero Motorcycles told Wired. Indeed, the
Zero MMX isn’t even for sale to civilians.