A California police department spent $153,000 on a Cybertruck for school anti-drug events

MicroWave@lemmy.world to News@lemmy.world – 460 points – A California police department spent $153,000 on a Cybertruck for school anti-drug events
nbcnews.com

Although Irvine police said they won’t use the Cybertruck as a patrol car, the police department didn’t rule out other uses should the need arise.

A police department in Southern California says it has the country’s first Tesla Cybertruck for police use, but the unusual vehicle won’t see much action. 

The Irvine Police Department unveiled the purchase Tuesday in a splashy video on social media, including Facebook and X. The price tag: $153,175.03, including the installation of emergency equipment. 

The police department said its Cybertruck would have a limited role: jazzing up anti-drug events at schools through the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program.

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@MicroWave "So remember, kids -- drugs'll make you do really weird stuff, like pay $153,000 for a Cybertruck."

"For over three decades, our DARE officers have driven attention-grabbing and one-of-a-kind vehicles that never fail to turn heads and excite students,” the department said on Facebook.

How many of those excited students were stopped from using drugs by these attention-grabbing one-of-a-kind vehicles? An exact number isn't necessary, I'll accept an educated approximation.

Also-

And she said the department needed a new D.A.R.E. vehicle anyway.

I may be showing my age here, but back when I was a kid, Officer Friendly used to come to my school and tell us how drugs did not make you cool in his regular old patrol car.

They were usually seized assets which is awful but seems less so than spending over $150k on a vehicle that major insurers refuse to cover.

I don't know the exact number, but I'm sure it's less than zero.

I drive a school bus and it's depressing how excited elementary and middle-school kids get when they see a cybertruck. Shit, they still get excited when they see a tesla and those things are everywhere.

I used to work on a school bus and I get excited when I see a CyberTruck, too. Then I can look in the mirror and say, "you're not the dumbest person I've seen today!" It's a real ego boost.

I don't doubt kids get excited over them since they're marketed to people of that maturity level, but I doubt it would convince any of them to not use drugs if they were considering it.

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