Blown Away: Cops Drive Teslas For The First Time

Plenty has been said about Teslas being used as police vehicles, including the allegation they’re “almost worthless” in the role, but watching some cops actually drive Teslas for the first time is interesting. While not a representation of all law enforcement nor is it a real-world test of the EVs as patrol cars, we find some of the reactions to be thought-provoking and a springboard for more discussion on the topic.

Learn why police are getting warrants to seize Teslas not used in crimes.

The footage was taken as the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Emergency Vehicle Operation Center Training Facility during an Emergency Vehicle Operation Course (EVOC). The members of eight different California law enforcement agencies trained on Teslas with UP.FIT modifications.

Many of the cops in the video had never driven a Tesla in their life. Instructors taught them how to maximize the EVs’ performance in emergency and non-emergency situations.

With the Ford Explorer Police Interceptor currently dominating the market, many in the training were comparing the Blue Oval’s crossover against the Tesla Model Y. They seemed to enjoy the tighter handling, low-end torque, and overall responsiveness of the Tesla more. Many of them said the Model Y was more fun to drive, too.

As one of the instructors told the cops in a presentation, the goal of the training isn’t to push law enforcement into Teslas, but rather to “share an experience” and let police decide whether the EVs make sense in the line of duty.

While many of the police attending the training weren’t in uniform and the badges/logos were blurred in much of the video, at a few points you can clearly see two of them is from the Simi Valley Police Department.

Obviously, this video was edited by Unplugged Performance to cast a positive light on Tesla police cars. But it acts are a counterpoint to negative reports, so we wanted to show both sides of the ongoing argument.

Image via UP.FIT