NYPD’s car leasing program faces scrutiny as Commissioner Tisch seeks accountability for misuse by top officials
New York: Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch is shaking things up. She’s ordered a review of the NYPD’s car-leasing program, which is costing over $1 million a month. Apparently, some top brass might be taking advantage of it.
This program, called CRALO, is supposed to provide undercover vehicles for officers working on investigations. But it seems like it’s gotten a bit out of hand.
Sources say the program has grown to over 1,000 vehicles, and some high-ranking officials are allegedly misusing it. Tisch’s team suspects that some officers who don’t even need undercover cars are getting multiple SUVs.
There are rumors that some well-known higher-ups are involved in this misuse. They might be using FEMA codes to access federally funded vehicles, and the feds are also looking into how some of these cars were paid for.
Tisch is asking all units to take a full inventory of their CRALO vehicles. She wants to make sure these resources are only for those who really need them, not for executives or top officials.
She’s set a deadline for June 30, 2025, for all leases to be justified. Tisch made it clear that executives shouldn’t be using these vehicles to drive around top brass.
As part of this review, each department bureau will need to inventory their CRALO vehicles and explain why they still need them. The program needs to be compliant by the deadline, according to sources.
