Irvine Police Department officially unveils nation’s first Tesla Cybertruck police car

  • A US police department is using the Tesla Cybertruck to fight crime 
  • Irvine Police Department spent $153,000 on the Cybertruck
  • The truck will support school anti-drug events rather than patrols

Published on Oct 09, 2024 at 6:42 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones

Last updated on Oct 10, 2024 at 5:50 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Tom Wood

Love it or hate it – the Tesla Cybertruck is the most recognizable car on the road and now this US police department has taken one on to fight crime.

Irvine Police Department (IPD) in California spent $153,000 on the Cybertruck.

The truck will support their Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program in school anti-drug events.

It won’t – however – be used as a patrol car.

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Tesla Cybertruck police car

From officers on horseback to working with support K9, the IPD ‘passionately seeks unique and innovative ways to connect with our community and the youth of Irvine’.

Now the department has invested in a unique Tesla Cybertruck to ‘start positive conversations and promote community interaction’.

The fully equipped vehicle will solely be used for this purpose and won’t be used as a patrol car unless needed to respond to emergencies and assist the community when needed.

Presumably, if the emergency involves towing something out of a sticky situation, it might come in handy.

A video created by Orange County’s IPD and shared on Facebook shows the vehicle driving at night with lights flashing and dramatic music.

This isn’t the first Tesla used in law enforcement with the Tesla Model Y cop car in Minnesota praised by the chief of the force.

Further afield, Dubai police’s Cybertruck has been a huge success on the force.

Justifying the cost

The $153,175.03 price tag included the installation of emergency equipment. 

Information released by the department revealed that while their Ford Police Interceptor costs $116,000, it has a life expectancy of three to four years.

The Tesla Cybertruck can be used for up to 10 years.

Irvine Police Department

Sgt. Karie Davies explained that the department expects to save money in the long run by not paying for gas for the Tesla Cybertruck.

“The Cybertruck is a replacement for another DARE vehicle that has reached its shelf life,” she said to NBC News.

Want more?

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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”