As members of the National Automotive Dealers Association (NADA) descend upon Dallas for the annual NADA Show, the association donated two vehicles to the Dallas Police Department (DPD) to thank the city for hosting the 2023 event.

“Dealers across the country are active in their communities and are often supporters of their local law enforcement and public services,” said NADA Show Committee Chairman Danny Renshaw, who also is also president and CEO of Renshaw Automotive Group in Bowling Green, Kentucky. “It was a natural fit to donate these vehicles to the DPD in our tradition of contributing to our show’s host community. We know these vehicles will be put to important work.” 

The two vehicles, a Ford F-150 and a Nissan Ultima, are valued at $50,000 and will be used in the Dallas Police Department’s bait car program. DPD’s bait car program, established in 2003 in the Auto Theft Unit, now runs simultaneous operations to combat an increase in auto theft and burglary of motor vehicles. The bait vehicles will be outfitted with covert cameras and tracking devices. When a vehicle is stolen or burglarized, it can be easily tracked, improving the ability for officers to apprehend the perpetrator. 

“These vehicles are a welcome addition to our program, which will help decline car burglaries, crimes that are difficult to solve as they often happen quickly without witnesses,” said Dallas Executive Assistant Chief of Police Albert Martinez. “We are appreciative of our community partners like NADA and the dealers they represent.”

Past NADA Show donations include:

• 2022 (Las Vegas): NADA donated $25,000 to Three Square Food Bank
• 2021 (New Orleans): NADA donated $25,000 to the Second Harvest Food Bank
• 2020 (Las Vegas): NADA donated $50,000 to the Nellis Support Team, a nonprofit organization that supports airmen and their families at Nellis Air Force Base, Creech Air Force Base, and Nevada Test and Training Range
• 2019 (San Francisco): NADA donated $50,000 to the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank to support the purchase of a new refrigerated truck
• 2018 (Las Vegas): NADA donated $50,000 to the Nellis Support Team
• 2017 (New Orleans): The NADA Foundation provided a $50,000 grant to the Emeril Lagasse Foundation, which supports Café Reconcile, a culinary job training program for young adults from at-risk communities
• 2016 (Las Vegas): NADA donated a new delivery van valued at $52,000 to Three Square Food Bank
• 2015 (San Francisco): The NADA Foundation provided a $50,000 grant to the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank

NADA Show 2023, the Auto Industry ikEvent of the Year, is in Dallas, January 26-29, 2023, offering attendees award-winning dealer education, franchise meetings, industry networking and the NADA Expo. For more information on NADA Show 2023, click here.