Police Get Nowhere Fast With Ferrari Trade

As an attention-getter, the Glendale Police Department’s sleek black 1986 Ferrari 328 GTS has been a hit. The speedy Italian sports car, seized almost three years ago from a drug dealer, has been the department’s key drawing card at community events and job fairs.

But as a crime-fighting tool, the Ferrari has been a bust.

As a result, Glendale police announced last week that they want to swap their flashy Ferrari for several nondescript, more useful undercover cars.

But when word of the Ferrari swap was publicized in television and newspaper reports, the dream car triggered some undesirable commotion for the department.

By early this week, more than 600 car buffs had flooded the police station with calls, saying they would be more than willing to relieve officers of the unwanted Ferrari. Some misinterpreted the reports and thought that Glendale police wanted a simple one-on-one swap for an everyday vehicle.

“We’ve had people call and say they want to trade their Toyota pickup for the Ferrari,” Officer Mario Yagoda said. “What we’re looking for is several cars in the 1990-91 model years. We’re trying to find a trade of equal value.”

Lt. Mike Post, who heads the Glendale narcotics unit, said the auto was appraised a year ago at $80,000, but may be worth a bit less now because of the depressed exotic car market.

Yagoda urged Ferrari fans not to tie up police lines with questions about the sports car but to contact the department’s administration office at (818) 548-3144 during regular business hours. The department will accept trade proposals through Jan. 23 at the Glendale city clerk’s office.

“We’re trying to exchange an exotic car for ones that are less conspicuous but more practical for police purposes,” said Lt. Jim Swinford, who oversees the Glendale police fleet.

Post said detective Thomas Magnum of television’s “Magnum P.I.” may have used a Ferrari to follow crooks without calling attention to himself. But in true police work, Post said, “it’s not really useful for that purpose.”

Glendale police thought otherwise in January, 1988, when they seized the car from Juan Carlos Giraldo, then a 27-year-old Canyon Country resident. He was among eight Colombian citizens arrested in an investigation that netted 438 pounds of cocaine, four vehicles and more than $185,000 in cash.

Post said Giraldo was convicted of drug charges. Glendale police eventually took title to his Ferrari under federal asset seizure laws. Officers thought that the car might be useful in special undercover operations, perhaps one in which an investigator needed to pose as a high-rolling drug dealer.

But last week, Post said: “The particular case where this would serve that purpose never came this way.”

He added that, television myths aside, eye-catching Ferraris are not usually the vehicle of choice for major drug dealers. And despite its speed, Post claims that the sports car is too loud and uncomfortable for routine police work. “They built this car for performance,” he said. “Then, from my perspective, they added the passenger compartment as an afterthought.”

Also, maintenance costs are steep--a tuneup can run more than $1,200.

The department finally decided that the Ferrari was a luxury that it could no longer afford.

When the Ferrari swap is completed, a few officers may feel a loss.

“It’s been fun having it,” Post said. “But the issue is that we’re not here to have fun. This doesn’t help us conduct business.”

Wearing his best poker face, he insisted, “I’ve never had this thing over 55 m.p.h.”