Las Vegas Police Deploy Tesla Cybertrucks in $2.7 Million Donor-Funded Rollout

In a move that feels more like a Silicon Valley PR stunt than smart law enforcement policy, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) has unveiled the largest police fleet of Tesla Cybertrucks in the country each vehicle costing up to $115,000, courtesy of a $2.7 million donation from tech billionaire Ben Horowitz and his wife, Felicia.

That’s right while cities across America face soaring crime, officer shortages, and broken communities, Las Vegas has decided to roll out ten bulletproof Cybertrucks loaded with shotguns, shields, and ladders as the “future of policing.”

“These vehicles look a little bit different than the patrol cars we have out there,” Police Chief Kevin McMahill said. “But they represent innovation, sustainability, and our continued commitment to serve this community safely, efficiently and responsibly.”

Sounds nice but here's what they actually represent:

• A tech billionaire’s vanity project disguised as a public service donation.

• Electric trucks with a recall history: 46,000 Cybertrucks recalled in March due to detaching body panels, and another 63,000 recalled in October for dangerously bright headlights.

• A tone-deaf display of luxury while many Americans can’t afford to fill their gas tanks, let alone buy food thanks to Bidenflation.

This isn’t about "efficiency" or "innovation." It's about putting on a high-tech light show while everyday families are still waiting on real solutions to violent crime. Las Vegas is now patrolling its streets with vehicles that look like props from a dystopian movie and all of it bankrolled by a Silicon Valley venture capitalist.

And what’s next? According to reports, the Horowitzs have also funded drone technology for LVMPD. Flashy, yes. Effective? Jury’s still out.

Here’s a better idea: instead of throwing money at EV eye-candy, how about fully funding our beat cops, ensuring community policing programs are intact, or investing in crime victim services? But those ideas aren’t quite as Instagram-worthy for tech moguls, are they?

The real winners in all this are Tesla whose vehicles are getting taxpayer-funded field testing and the media, which gets a shiny story to distract from the real problems in American cities.

Police work is about trust, presence, and service not turning patrol into a tech expo.

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