We all knew it was going to happen someday. That day has come: The Tesla Cybertruck is a police car.
On Tuesday, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department on Tuesday officially unveiled what it calls “the nation’s first fully operational Cybertruck patrol fleet.” A police department in Southern California bought one of the funky trucks last year, but as far as we can tell, the Las Vegas PD is the first to have several. And of course it had to be Vegas, where subtlety goes to die.
According to the LVMPD, the 10 trucks “will carry tactical tools needed to assist the men and women of LVMPD on critical calls for service such as barricades and shootings. Each area command will receive a Cybertruck.”
With four-wheel steering, adjustable-height suspension, a panoramic glass roof and an $80,000 price tag at a minimum, the Cybertruck is clearly overkill for police duty. To some, a Cybertruck police cruiser may even have the distinct ring of a dark, dystopian future. (Elon Musk himself said the Cybertruck is what Harrison Ford’s character in would’ve driven on patrol in Blade Runner, which, may I remind you, did not depict a super awesome vision for the world.)
To be sure, the LVMPD made clear that no taxpayer dollars were spent on the trucks. Instead, they were a gift from the venture capitalist Ben Horowitz (of Andreesen Horowitz) and his wife Felicia.
And there are some distinct benefits to the trucks, according to Up.Fit, which outfitted the trucks for police duty. The company highlights the Cybertruck’s ballistic-resistant door panels, minimal maintenance needs and the fact that EVs don’t burn fuel by idling, which police vehicles tend to do a lot. During a press conference, Sheriff Kevin McMahill said he wants his department to be the most technologically advanced police department in the country, adding that the Cybertrucks will help police officers do their jobs better and more safely.
At the end of the day, though, cops may mostly enjoy simply looking badass. As Sheriff McMahill said during the press conference, the Cybertrucks are a “heck of a recruiting tool.”
“These trucks are high performance, and they’re built tough, to handle everything from Fremont Street to Red Rock Canyon,” he said. “Cops are gonna look kind of cool in them too, right?”
Contact the author: Tim.Levin@InsideEVs.com
