We don’t have to tell you just how polarizing the Cybertruck has been in the wake of its controversial unveil back in November 2019. But the wave it sent to all online mediums has been of an unseen magnitude and that’s the best marketing strategy Tesla could ever wish for.

As a result, people came up with wicked renderings and some even started out building their own version of the Cybertruck. In this article, however, we’re going to be looking at whether a police Tesla Cybertruck would make sense in real life, given that some U.S. police departments are already acquiring and modifying Tesla Model 3s for patrol and other duties and we’ve also caught word of interest in the Cybertruck too, albeit from more exotic parts of the world.

Why Would the Tesla Cybertruck Make a Good Police Vehicle?

Back in December 2019, we reported on an interesting twist saw by the Westport PD in Connecticut regarding Tesla’s new Sentry Mode. Essentially, after doing some number crunching, the PD figured that a Tesla that’s fitted with Sentry Mode doesn’t need additional aftermarket cameras as your regular patrol car, so less money spent on conversion.

What’s more, the safety of the PD’s officers would be better protected since the Sentry Mode continuously monitors the vehicle continuously, a feature that could discourage vandals and protesters from damaging the vehicle. But how about a vehicle that can withstand hammer blows and (allegedly) bullets?

Can a Tesla Cybertruck police car make sense, then? Well, for some, it certainly does. And we’re not talking Average Joes, but actual police forces that have shown a firm interest in enrolling the Cybertruck as part of their fleet. And by firm interest we mean placing down an order.

For example, the municipality of Ciudad Valles in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, has reportedly ordered 15 Tesla Cybertrucks that will be used by the city’s police forces, according to El Imparcial Edición México.

The city’s mayor, Adrián Esper Cárdenas, already ordered 10 dual-motor AWD Cybertrucks and five tri-motor AWD ones for which Ciudad Valles will pay roughly 20 million pesos (that’s roughly $1 million).

Dubai police tease they will add Tesla's new Cybertruck to their fleet of cars in 2020 https://t.co/vyvlbGC1sM pic.twitter.com/RuWWgAMy8d

— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 28, 2019

In addition, Dubai has expressed its interest in adding Tesla’s Cybertruck to its exotic police car lineup due to the pickup truck’s “enhanced security presence,” and Clean Technica reports that the Kansas Highway Patrol has signalled the intention of enrolling the Cybertruck once it becomes available.

Kansas Highway Patrol PIO 👮🏼‍♀️serving North Central Kansas wants to use Tesla Cybertruckhttps://t.co/aUed1y78xb

“Let’s make it happen!” @TrooperBenKHP @elonmusk $TSLA #Tesla #CyberTruck pic.twitter.com/ElwPNfALkW

— Vincent (@vincent13031925) November 25, 2019

What Police Departments Could Use a Cybertruck Police Car?

The OPP are interested in the idea of a Tesla Cybertruck police vehicle https://t.co/1fftmetlA8 #Ontario #Tesla #OPP pic.twitter.com/jBjpOETmz9

— blogTO (@blogTO) February 25, 2020

Let’s start with what we know. Tesla says it provides maximum passenger protection, it’s resistant to dents and chips and also to long-term corrosion. But a Tesla Cybertruck that serves the general police department, SWAT teams, fire brigades, or riot control units will also need shatter-proof windows.

The Cybertruck can (theoretically) deliver on that too, thanks to a polymer-layered composite that sucks the impact force of a give projectile, thus offering an impenetrable barrier to complement the exoskeleton.

Sure, it’ll still need communications gear, sirens, specific lights, and so on, but the toughening up has already been done from the factory.

Secondly, it’s the truck’s highly-trumpeted roughness alone that acts as selling point. Departments that have to deal with and defuse violent altercations, riots, or armed incidents would benefit most from the Cybertruck’s solid build. A SWAT team could get to an armed robbery, let’s say, in no time inside a Cybertruck and it could use the car itself as shield. Heck, we can even imagine a water cannon mounted on top of a Cybertruck that flattens out dangerous aggressive protesters.

Tesla Cybertruck and a guanaco of carabineros de Chile, united to strengthen two things that everyone hates in one.#art #arte #chileart #digitalart #illustration #chile #wacom #tesla #cybertruck #carabineros #police #acab #drawing #artwork pic.twitter.com/66hYl3BZL4

— Gajardopaper 🇨🇱 🦊 (@gajardopaper) December 8, 2019

Thirdly, the truck’s 3,500-pound loading capacity could store a lot of tools for firemen or emergency first-responders. Beach patrol cars could be Cybertrucks, or even better, the Coast Guard could use the Cybertruck too, just like any other search and rescue party out there. What’s more, the truck’s 14,000-pound towing capacity could be used to carry extra trailers with food, water, and other supplies to hurricane-, tornado-, or earthquake-struck areas.

Final Thoughts

The hard body shell is there, so are (hopefully) the bulletproof windows, as is the overall visual badassery of the truck.

With the right graphical and hardware additions (think decals, water guns, lights, bull bars, and whatnot) a police Cybertruck, let’ say, will act on two dimensions. Number one, its imposing stature should make perpetrators think twice about engaging in illegal shenanigans and number two, if the do, then they’re not going to like what’s coming.

Sure, people will still say the Cybertruck can’t chase cars for too long on the highway, and that’s true. On the other hand, the chase doesn’t need to be long. Imagine trying to escape the police and seeing a road block made of Cybertrucks up ahead. What would you feel like?