IslandVibesIOP.com 5 FROM THE TEAM Deep Charleston Roots, Three Generations of Real Estate Knowledge Selling where I LOVE Living Mount Pleasant & Isle of Palms Winslow Carroll Dunes Properties 843-886-9600 wcarroll@dunesproperties.com Jeff and Melissa Polluta just moved to Isle of Palms in 2025 but recently became high-profile members of the community after donating a Tesla Model S car to the Isle of Palms Police Department for its vehicle fleet. The electric-fuel car is the first ever donated to IOPPD and entered service this July, five months after the IOP City Council approved its donation. It will be assigned to Chief of Police Kevin Cornett for official use and allow one of the department’s purpose-built police vehicles to be placed back into service. “We are incredibly grateful for this generous donation,” Cornett said. “This vehicle will not only help us avoid replacing fleet vehicles ahead of schedule, but it will also serve as a great conversation starter with the members of our community.” And that conversation has already started – principally the question of what made the Pollutas want to give away a very expensive car. “No one ever seems to help the police anymore,” said Jeff, who along with Melissa, co-founded the Lowcountry Island couple donate Tesla car to police By L. C. Leach III waste management company Trash Gurl in 2009. “I noticed that they have some aging vehicles, and this car gets such good mileage – 128 miles a gallon, mpge. It’s a 2025 model and was virtually brand new when we gave it to them.” Another question was how a non-police vehicle was able to be added to the force. IOPPD Sgt. Matt Storen pointed out that police vehicles are more common in the form of a Ford Police Interceptor Utility (Explorer) or a Ford F-150 Police Responder. “Tesla does not make a vehicle specifically designed for police use – this model was able to be outfitted with emergency lights, a siren and other necessary public safety equipment,” Storen said. “These items, when done in accordance with state law, make it a lawful police vehicle.” When further asked how much the donation will save the city in buying a new police vehicle, Storen said, “It’s hard to estimate savings this early on. However, we are taking fuel, oil and other expenses seen with a gas-powered vehicle into consideration.” The new Tesla will be seen at community events and other official police department functions. But such donations are rare among state police departments. John Jones, executive director of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Association in Columbia, said that while gifts sometimes come from a few private philanthropists and individuals, donations like this, especially Tesla cars, “are few and far between.” “We have more than 300 law enforcement agencies in South Carolina – police, sheriff, state, federal, you name it – and a donation like this happens maybe once a year,” said Jones, now in his 32nd year of law enforcement. “So I think it’s great that IOPPD got this donation.” The force also got something else from the car that doesn’t show up on a stat sheet: an automatic way for what Storen called “a tool to help us connect and engage with members of our community.” Melissa put the matter down to simple citizen support. “We’re new to IOP,” she said, “and the police need to be credited and noted that they’re doing such a good job.” The Tesla Model S is the newest addition to the IOP police force Photo courtesy of IOPPD
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjcyNTM1