EV

Californian cops bought Tesla Cybertruck Foundation Series and modified it

  • A Californian police department has added a Cybertruck to its fleet
  • The Cybertruck was modified to convert it into a police vehicle 
  • The slick-looking vehicle will be used for outreach and engagement 

Published on Sep 16, 2024 at 6:22 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid

Last updated on Sep 16, 2024 at 4:39 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Tom Wood

The Irvine Police Department, in California, has bought a Tesla Cybertruck Foundation Series and modified it into a police vehicle. 

The force teased the introduction of the new vehicle on X back in July sharing a slick image showing a Cybertruck with signature blue and red lights. 

A caption alongside the image read, “Coming soon to Irvine… #cybertruck.”

The force has since confirmed that the cool-looking truck will join the fleet of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) unit.

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The Tesla Cybertruck will be used for outreach

Police forces across the globe have been adding beefed-up motors to their fleets. 

Dubai Police has a Mansory P720 and McLaren Artura within its elite supercar fleet.

Cops in California revealed that they were introducing the first all-electric fleet in the US with the introduction of 20 Teslas.

Police in Australia’s Northern Territory also recently ordered a bunch of customized Subaru WRXs.

But the Cybertruck bought by the Irvine Police Department won’t be out on the roads.

Sergeant Karie Davis confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that it will be used for outreach. 

“It’s not a patrol car,” she told the publication. “It will be used for community relations.”

Speaking to Forbes, Sergeant Davis expanded on the idea, explaining that it will appear at events. 

“It’s something we can highlight at our events [where] kids can come and take pictures,” she said. 

The vehicle had to be specially modified

Californian police department bought a Tesla Cybertruck Foundation Series and modified it
Unplugged Performance
Californian police department bought a Tesla Cybertruck Foundation Series and modified it
Unplugged Performance

According to figures obtained by Forbes, the Irvine Police Department paid the standard $99,990 retail price for the Cybertruck and then paid an extra $20,000 for the ‘Foundation Series’ package. 

Sergeant Davis told Forbes the Foundation Series was the only model available at the time. 

The Foundation Series package allowed buyers to receive their vehicles sooner and came with some ‘premium accessories’ such as a glass roof sunshade and a ‘Full Self Driving (supervised)’ mode.

Of course, the force couldn’t have a stock-standard Tesla Cybertruck in its fleet—the car had to be specially modified to become a police vehicle. 

“We’re currently planning out all the bells and whistles you’d imagine would be on a vehicle like that,” spokesperson Kyle Oldoerp told KTLA back in July.  

The Irvine Police Department used a company called Unplugged Performance which carried out its UP.FIT service – packing the Cybertruck with the required police equipment such as lights, radios, and specially designed graphics for the exterior.   

The finished Cybertruck is certainly one of the meanest police vehicles we’ve ever seen.

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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Across her career she's covered a wide variety of topics, including celebrity, cryptocurrency, politics, true crime and just about everything in between.