There’s a race in America to see which police department will be the first to field a Cybertruck. Cops, it seems, really love the blocky vehicle that tends to break down. The social media accounts for the police department in Irvine, California have teased it’s getting one soon.
In a post on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, the Irvine PD shared a picture of a forward-facing Cybertruck decked out with red and blue lights lighting up the PD’s logo on a concrete floor. “#notkidding #irvine #irvinepd #tesla #orangecounty #police #policecar #teslamodels #whelen #cityofirvine #carsofinstagram #policecybertruck #elonmusk #policecarsofinstagram,” the post’s text read across all three sites.
Irvine PD confirmed to Gizmodo that it is, indeed, getting a Cybetruck. “The vehicle will be used for community outreach. We won’t be providing any further information until we officially introduce it to the community in a couple of months,” a spokesperson for Irvine PD told Gizmodo in an email.
Over on Facebook, Irvine PD is fighting it out in the comments below the post. “So…a more colorful dumpster on wheels?” One person commented, a reference to a viral post about raccoons attempting to get into a Cybetruck’s trunk because the shape is similar to a closed dumpster.
“We like this dumpster,” Irvine PD said in response.
“So you can’t chase the burglary suspects outside of the city without having to recharge for an hour. Perfect for the criminals,” said another commenter.
“Our police cars don’t have endless gas tanks,” Irvine PD responded.
Cops across the country are fascinated by the Cybertruck. Earlier this month, 404 Media published an internal email from an Anaheim Police sergeant about the department using Teslas. “I spoke with the Chief yesterday and we still want to be the first police agency to have a Cybertruck,” the email said. When contacted for comment, Anaheim PD said the email was kind of a joke, but it was legitimately interested in acquiring a Cybertruck.
Spotted out in the wild.
What do you think @elonmusk… will the #Cybertruck make a good police vehicle? It’s still hard to find new vehicles to replenish our older police units. Should we make the change in 2024? pic.twitter.com/WRlZWiSSK7
— Rosenberg Police (@RosenbergPolice) January 2, 2024
The X account for the Rosenberg, Texas police took pictures of one of the trucks it saw in the wild and posted them. “What do you think @elonmusk… will the #Cybertruck make a good police vehicle? It’s still hard to find new vehicles to replenish our older police units,” the department wrote. “Should we make the change in 2024?”
Unplugged Performance, a California company that specializes in custom vehicles, teased its own version of the policing-focused Cybertruck in June. It’s not clear if the company had sold any tactical-style Cybertrucks, but the company’s president told Popular Science that it had talked to multiple police departments about the vehicle.
