Fleet of cars donated to LBPD

Former Long Beach native, Sergeant Eric Monath of the Palm Beach County Sheriffs Department has stepped up to the plate.

Monath was following the effects Hurricane Sandy had on Long Beach, his hometown. While watching the news, Monath discovered that the Long Beach Police Department had lost its fleet of police cars during the storm. In order to operate, the LBPD had to borrow cars from various police agencies, some from as far as the Albany Police Department

Monath’s department in Palm Beach had just replaced its entire fleet with new vehicles Monath approached his boss, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, with an idea to donate ten slightly used police cars to the LBPD. Bradshaw immediately embraced the idea of assisting LBPD and authorized the transfer. On Dec. 31, ten immaculate Crown Victorias, with lights, sirens, and full tanks of gas, were delivered to the LBPD headquarters. The cars were striped with LBPD decals and immediately put into service.

“On behalf of the City of Long Beach, I would like to sincerely thank the Palm Beach County Sheriffs Department for their overwhelming generosity,” said City Council President Scott Mandel. “Our recovery since the storm has been remarkable, and for that we have so many wonderful new friends to thank for their assistance. The contributions we’ve received in our time of need have been invaluable.”