The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) has officially unveiled the world's first public-safety fleet built entirely from Tesla Cybertrucks, marking a new chapter in electric law enforcement. Ten Cybertrucks, modified by Unplugged Performance's UP.FIT division, were revealed at a ceremony in Las Vegas. Each truck has been outfitted for full patrol capability, complete with emergency lighting, integrated communication systems, police-grade tires, and dedicated storage for gear and equipment.
The department said the Cybertruck program was funded through private partnerships, not taxpayer dollars, and will serve as both a pilot and proof-of-concept for future electrified patrol fleets. According to LVMPD, the goal is to test how electric vehicles perform in 24-hour duty cycles and under Nevada's extreme climate conditions.
Choosing the Cybertruck wasn't just about style. The vehicle's stainless-steel body, torque-heavy dual-motor setup, and adaptive air suspension make it well-suited to the demands of police work, from pursuit operations to disaster-response deployments. It also delivers the quiet operation and low running costs that have made EVs increasingly attractive to municipal fleets.
For Tesla, this debut is a welcome shift in attention following a series of controversies. International regulators have challenged the truck's design and pedestrian-safety credentials, preventing sales in the EU. The Las Vegas fleet, by contrast, provides the company with an opportunity to highlight the truck's practical capabilities in a legitimate, mission-critical setting.
Meanwhile, Tesla's production and allocation strategy for the Cybertruck remains in flux. Recently, unsold units are being redirected to Elon Musk's other ventures, SpaceX and xAI, for internal fleet use. That underscores the challenge of managing public demand while meeting niche commercial orders like this one.
[...] The Las Vegas deployment may set a precedent for police agencies across the country considering EVs for frontline duty. While the Cybertruck's unconventional design has polarized public opinion, its blend of durability and zero-emission performance could prove ideal for roles that demand high torque, instant power, and long idle times.
This rollout also offers Tesla a chance to reframe its narrative, shifting from social-media spectacle to public-sector innovation. If the LVMPD's results show measurable efficiency and reliability gains, Cybertrucks could become a common sight in law-enforcement fleets within a few years.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by epitaxial on Tuesday November 04, @04:42PM (7 children)
Oh good, privately funded police.
(Score: 1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 04, @11:27PM (5 children)
They had to dump those shitboxes somewhere.
The Asshole of Nevada seems like a perfect spot.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 05, @01:11AM
Find someone in your life who loves you as much as the Las Vegas council loves Elon.
(Score: 2, Funny) by driverless on Wednesday November 05, @05:38AM
I hope "built from Cybertrucks" means they crushed them and used the materials to make proper police vehicles.
(Score: 2) by Username on Wednesday November 05, @02:41PM
To be fair, all cars companies do this. Few, maybe a decade now, years ago my local police got a dodge charger for free. Same concept. They want you to get used to the vehicle, and buy another when it reaches the end of its life.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday November 05, @05:03PM (1 child)
That was also my thought. They had a bunch of unsellable cybertrucks. What to do with them? Privately funded "help" indeed.
I am a bit skeptical whether these are actually more suitable for police work than conventional sedan vehicles.
I suppose those cybertrucks will add to the spectacle which is Las Vegas.
If your boy is chewing on electrical cords, then ground him until he conducts himself properly.
(Score: 2) by corey on Wednesday November 05, @08:58PM
Yeah I was running the same. I wonder what the rails on the back are for - strapping people onto them? I’d have thought the tray in the back be useful for something.
Using a ute for police work with using the tray to hold crims is weird. But then again I’ve seen BMW police cars here in Australia (the service costs are astronomical on them).
(Score: 2) by aafcac on Wednesday November 05, @10:43PM
People keep saying that things like this are privately funded as if the only issue is the use of tax payer dollars. It may be a compelling argument for rightwingers, but it just serves to raise a bunch of other issues.
(Score: 4, Funny) by fen on Tuesday November 04, @06:43PM (1 child)
Didn't they advertise that it's already bullet-proof, even the tires? Maybe they didn't have to mod it as much as an impala.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 04, @07:08PM
> Maybe they didn't have to mod it as much as an impala.
Maybe they didn't have to mod it as much as a Tahoe.
ftfy
Time marches on, see https://www.gmenvolve.com/fleet/police [gmenvolve.com]
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 04, @09:04PM (3 children)
I wonder how long the vehicle HVAC will run on battery power in that hot Nevada desert?
I don't think the police will much cotton up to only giving the appearance of being cool.
Well, now all the donut shops will have to install Tesla charging stations, and extra shifts to allow for charging breaks. So there is a good upside. The faster one can drain their battery, the more justification for hanging around the donut shop while the batteries charge.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Rich on Tuesday November 04, @10:14PM (2 children)
Around 3 days around the clock. The battery has 123 kWh, the A/C unit consumes about 1.5kW when running.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 05, @02:31AM (1 child)
But, added to the A/C is the power drain of chasing that Dodge Challenger in "Vanishing Point" across the state. That Cybertruck will be a boat anchor long before catching Kowalski.
(Score: 3, Funny) by c0lo on Wednesday November 05, @06:40AM
You don't get it, public-safety fleets don't chase anyone; it would be unsafe to do so, especially in a Tesla car. :grin:
https://www.youtube.com/@ProfSteveKeen https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Tuesday November 04, @11:14PM (1 child)
Las Vegas is brash, vulgar, resource-hungry, totally out of place and senseless where it was build.
The Las Vegas pigs using Cybertrucks befits the city perfectly.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday November 05, @05:04PM
You must be thinking of The Sphere.
If your boy is chewing on electrical cords, then ground him until he conducts himself properly.
(Score: 2) by namefags_are_jerks on Wednesday November 05, @12:41AM
ED-209 when?????
(Score: 2) by squeedles on Thursday November 06, @07:44PM
Was looking at some EV Blazers at a dealer near me and saw that one of them was a Police model. AFAICT, the main differences are: wider seats to accommodate gear belts, up to 100amp service to accommodate aux equipment, extra switches on the wheel and such that can be wired into equipment, fleet-wide fob programming, preinstalled wire harness for light bars, and beefier brakes and tires.
Everyone does police sales, it's an obvious use.