All points bulletin: Next time you are in Vegas, be on the lookout for some hot vehicles, and we don't mean stolen. That Cybertruck riding your bumper might be a cop. A generous benefactor has donate several of the Tesla trucks to the Metro Police, outfitted with the latest law-enforcement tech.
During Tuesday's State of the Department address, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department announced plans to add 10 Tesla Cybertrucks to its patrol and SWAT vehicle fleets. News station WWNY reports that LVMPD will be the first law enforcement agency in the US to use these expensive trucks for official police business.
Tesla Cybertrucks with the "Cyberbeast" package start at around $94,000, but versions outfitted with police and SWAT gear will easily exceed $115,000 – especially the SWAT truck, which will have reinforced panels and other modifications. Sheriff Kevin McMahill assured keynote attendees that taxpayers are not footing the bill for the new rigs.
McMahill explained that the department ordered the Cybertrucks over a year ago thanks to a generous donation. While the LVMPD did not disclose the donor's name, some speculate that Ben Horowitz was behind the gift. The co-founder of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz has previously donated high-tech equipment to the LVMPD.
#BREAKING LVMPD announces we will soon have an initial fleet of #Cybertrucks
– Kevin McMahill (@Sheriff_LVMPD) February 25, 2025
These are badass pic.twitter.com/nAGjQSU1Je
Following the State of the Department keynote, Sheriff McMahill tweeted images of the new vehicles, stating, "These are badass."
Indeed! The black and white cruisers, fitted with overhead and bumper-placed red-and-blues, will definitely get your attention, especially if you see that single-bar headlight in your rearview mirror as an officer pulls you over. The SWAT van is even more impressive with its desert-toned paint job and extra modifications that, uncoincidentally, make it look more like a military vehicle than a Cybertruck.
The final versions of these vehicles will likely look much different. Carscoops spotted that the LVMPD images appear to be re-renders of the upgraded Cybertruck UP.FIT cruiser that Unplugged Performance unveiled last year. Likewise, the mockup of the SWAT truck is a render of a Cybertruck with a proposed military makeover from last year with the word "SWAT" photoshopped on the side.
The new Teslas are not the only high-tech gear Metro announced. The department is deploying "shot-spotters" that can triangulate the position of gunfire within the city and has positioned several drones throughout Las Vegas that will respond to disturbances and potentially dangerous situations. The drones can relay a live video feed to patrol vehicles responding to the call, including the new Cybertrucks.
Mysterious benefactor donates Las Vegas police 10 Tesla Cybertruck patrol and SWAT vehicles
