Nation's largest fleet of police Cybertrucks to patrol Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The nation's largest police fleet of Tesla Cybertrucks is set to begin patrolling the streets of Las Vegas in November thanks to a donation from a U.S. tech billionaire, raising concerns about the blurring of lines between public and private interests.

“Welcome to the future of policing,” Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said during a recent press conference, surrounded by the Cybertrucks while drones hovered overhead and a police helicopter circled above him.

The fleet of 10 black-and-white Cybertrucks of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department with flashing lights and sirens are wrapped with the police department’s logo. About 400 officers have been trained to operate the trucks that will use public charging stations.

The all-electric vehicles are equipped with shotguns, shields and ladders and additional battery capacity to better handle the demands of a police department, McMahill said.

The donation has raised concerns from government oversight experts about private donors’ influence on public departments and the boost to the Tesla brand. The department is the latest U.S. city to turn to Tesla models even as Elon Musk ’s electric vehicle company has faced blowback because of his work earlier in the year to advance the president’s political agenda and downsize the federal government.

McMahill noted the trucks will help keep officers safer because they are bulletproof, while Metro’s other squad cars are not. Each Cybertruck is valued at somewhere between $80,000 and $115,000 and will be used to respond to calls like barricades and shootings in addition to regular patrols.

The Cybertrucks also offer unique benefits such as a shorter turn radius, he said.

“They look a little bit different than the patrol cars that we have out there, but they represent something far bigger than just a police car,” the sheriff said. “They represent innovation. They represent sustainability, and they represent our continued commitment to serve this community with the best tools that we have available, safely, efficiently and responsibly.”

The fleet comes amid a roller coaster year for Tesla that has dealt with multiple recalls.

In March, U.S. safety regulators recalled virtually all Cybertrucks on the road.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s recall, which covered more than 46,000 Cybertrucks, warned that an exterior panel that runs along the left and right side of the windshield can detach while driving, creating a dangerous road hazard for other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash. Tesla offered to replace the panels free of charge in notification letters sent out in May.

In late October, Tesla announced another recall of more than 63,000 Cybertrucks in the U.S. because the front lights are too bright, which may cause a distraction to other drivers and increase the risk of a collision.

Las Vegas officer Robert Wicks with the department’s public information office said all of Tesla’s recalls will have been dealt with before the Cybertrucks patrol the streets. The March recall regarding panel issues was handled before the department received the trucks, he said.

Federal regulators also have opened yet another investigation into Tesla’s self-driving feature after dozens of incidents in which the cars ran red lights or drove on the wrong side of the road, sometimes crashing into other vehicles and causing injuries.

The Cybertrucks modified for the Las Vegas police fleet do not have any kind of self-driving feature.

Laura Martin, executive director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada Action Fund, said the imposing trucks with their sharp angles “seems like they’re designed for intimidation and not safety."

“It just seems like Cybertrucks arriving on the streets of Clark County shows that Sheriff McMahill is prioritizing corporate giveaways and police militarization over real community needs," she said.

The donation comes after President Donald Trump earlier this year shopped for a new Tesla on the White House driveway and said he hoped his purchase would help the company as it struggled with sagging sales and declining stock prices.

Athar Haseebullah, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, said now the Las Vegas fleet of another Tesla model “to patrol our communities really draws the next parallel there.”

Haseebullah also is worried about the Cybertrucks' surveillance abilities that the public may not be unaware of, and that the fleet might give Tesla access to police data.

Following the explosion of a Cybertruck outside of Trump’s Las Vegas tower earlier this year, Tesla was able to provide detailed data of the driver inside, including the driver’s movements leading up to the explosion.

Ed Obayashi, a special prosecutor in California and an expert on national and state police practices, said private donations to law enforcement is not uncommon nor illegal unless a local or state law prohibits it.

In this case, the donation is a physical piece of equipment, and the money can’t be diverted to something else, Obayashi said. That said, he doesn’t think the trucks provide the department with a specific advantage.

“There’s not going to be really any distinct or noticeable advantage or benefits, so to speak, other than the fact that it’s a free vehicle and it saves the taxpayers money to replace equipment,” Obayashi said.

The Las Vegas fleet was a donation totaling about $2.7 million from Ben Horowitz, co-founder of the Silicon Valley venture capital firm known as Andreessen Horowitz, or a16z, and his wife, Felicia Horowitz.

The couple, who live in Las Vegas, have made multiple donations to the department, including between $8 million to $9 million for Project Blue Sky, the department's implementation of drones throughout the valley. They've also donated funds to buy emergency call technology and license plate readers — products from companies in which Andreessen Horowitz invests.

Ben Horowitz, who has donated to political campaigns for both Democrats and Republicans, was among the investors who backed Elon Musk’s bid to take over Twitter, now known as X.

His venture capitalist firm also hosted McMahill and Metro Chief of Staff Mike Gennaro on a podcast in November 2024.

Ben and Felicia Horowitz could not be reached for comment, however in a 2024 blog post, Ben Horowitz described their interest in donating to the department, stressing the importance of public safety and the difficulties public sectors have in budgeting for technology.

McMahill said the couple wanted to make sure that Las Vegas didn’t “become California when it comes to crime.”

A Tesla Cybertruck owned by the Las Vegas Metro Police department is on display in Las Vegas, Tuesday Oct. 28th 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

Sheriff Keven McMahill talks about Tesla Cybertrucks owned by the Las Vegas Metro Police department in Las Vegas, Tuesday Oct. 28th 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

A Tesla Cybertruck owned by the Las Vegas Metro Police department is on display in Las Vegas on Tuesday Oct, 28th 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

A member of the Las Vegas Police Department inspects a Tesla Cybertruck, part of the department's fleet of vehicles, in Las Vegas on Tuesday Oct, 28th 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

Tesla Cybertrucks owned by the Las Vegas Metro Police department is on display in Las Vegas on Tuesday Oct, 28th 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to revive his struggling government but faced growing calls to resign after a disastrous set of local and regional elections for his Labour Party.

As the final results came in Saturday, Labour suffered a net loss of more than 1,100 local council seats across England, lost control of several local authorities it had held for decades and was booted from power in Wales after 27 years. Anti-immigration party Reform UK gained over 1,300 seats across England and made significant gains in legislative elections in Wales and Scotland.

It was a blunt verdict from voters in elections widely seen as an unofficial referendum on Starmer, whose popularity has plummeted since he led the center-left party to power less than two years ago.

Here are five things we’ve learned from the elections.

Starmer insisted he would not walk away and "plunge the country into chaos,” and the dire election results did not produce an immediate challenge to his leadership.

"The right thing to do is rebuild and show the path forward,” Starmer said Saturday. “That’s what I’m going to do in the coming days.”

Starmer’s Cabinet colleagues expressed support, and none of the high-profile Labour politicians considered potential challengers has made a move. Health Secretary Wes Streeting, former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham are keeping quiet for now.

But a growing number of Labour lawmakers urged the prime minister to set a timetable for his departure this year. British politics allows parties to change leader midterm without the need for a new election.

“There has to be a timetable,” legislator Clive Betts told the BBC. Another lawmaker, Tony Vaughan, said there should be an “orderly transition of leadership.”

Starmer tried to demonstrate change on Saturday by bringing back two figures from past Labour governments. He made former Prime Minister Gordon Brown a special envoy on global finance, and appointed the party's ex-deputy leader Harriet Harman an adviser on women and girls.

Starmer is due to make a speech on Monday in an attempt to regain momentum, before the government sets out its legislative plans on Wednesday in a speech delivered by King Charles III at the State Opening of Parliament.

The elections were a breakthrough for Reform UK, the latest hard-right party led by the veteran nationalist politician Nigel Farage.

Running on an anti-establishment and anti-immigration message, the party won hundreds of local council seats in working-class areas in England’s north, such as Sunderland, that were solid Labour turf for decades. It also made gains from the Conservatives in areas like the county of Essex, east of London, and increased its vote share in Wales and Scotland, new terrain for the party.

Farage said the results marked a “historic change in British politics.” He said he's confident that “voters who have come to us are not doing it as a short-term protest.”

Reform UK currently holds just eight of the 650 seats in the House of Commons and it’s unclear whether it could repeat its success in a national election.

The elections produced semiautonomous administrations in Scotland and Wales led by parties devoted to independence and the breakup of the United Kingdom — though neither has that policy on the front burner.

The Scottish National Party, which has governed in Edinburgh since 2007, won another term but fell short of a majority, meaning an independence referendum is unlikely. Labour and Reform tied in a distant second place.

Plaid Cymru (The Party of Wales) won the most seats in the Cardiff-based legislature, the Senedd. The party, which has an ambition for Wales to leave the U.K. but no plan to do so anytime soon, fell short of a majority but will likely form the new government. Reform came second and Labour a distant third in one of its most historic heartlands, with outgoing First Minister Eluned Morgan losing her seat.

The economy lies at the heart of Labour’s troubles, as it does for many incumbent governments.

Since ending 14 years of Conservative rule roiled by austerity and the COVID-19 pandemic, Labour has struggled to ease the cost of living and jump-start a sluggish economy against the tough economic backdrop of war in Ukraine and, more recently, Iran. Starmer also has angered supporters with attempts to cut welfare spending, some of which were reversed after Labour revolts.

Some in Labour say the government's achievements, including protections for renters and a higher minimum wage, are going unnoticed. Many blame Starmer, an uninspiring leader distracted by scandals including his disastrous decision to appoint Peter Mandelson, a scandal-tarnished friend of Jeffrey Epstein, as Britain’s ambassador to Washington.

But Stephen Houghton, the outgoing leader of Barnsley council in northern England, where Labour lost to Reform, said the problem “goes deeper than the prime minister.”

“This has been coming for 30 years around the country, in post-industrial communities, coastal communities, that have been left behind,” he said. “You can change prime ministers all day long. If you don’t change policy, it’s not going to change.”

The results reflect a fragmentation of U.K. politics after decades of domination by Labour and the Conservative Party, which also suffered major losses on Thursday.

The elections offered voters a rainbow of choices, including the centrist Liberal Democrats and the nationalist parties in Scotland and Wales.

But the big winners were populist insurgents, Reform UK and the Green Party, whose focus has expanded from the environment to social justice and the Palestinian cause under self-described “eco populist” leader Zack Polanski. The Greens won hundreds of council seats from Labour in urban centers and university towns and took control of several local authorities.

Tony Travers, professor of government at the London School of Economics, said the results suggest the next national election, due by 2029, won’t produce a majority for any party.

“So then you’re in the world of, after the election, two or three big minority parties trying to work out how they would govern,” he said — something traditionally considered “very un-British.”

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaking to the media after meeting Labour Party members during a visit to AFC Wimbledon in south London, Saturday May 9, 2026. (Maja Smiejkowska/PA via AP)

First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney with some of the newly elected SNP MSPs in Edinburgh, Saturday May 9, 2026, following the 2026 Holyrood elections. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy meeting Labour Party members during a visit to AFC Wimbledon in south London, Saturday May 9, 2026. (Maja Smiejkowska/PA via AP)

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaking to the media after meeting Labour Party members during a visit to AFC Wimbledon in south London, Saturday May 9, 2026. (Maja Smiejkowska/PA via AP)

Observers from the Scottish National Party (SNP) watch as votes are counted for the 2026 Holyrood elections, at Dewars Centre in Perth, Scotland, Friday May 8, 2026. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage speaks to supporters at Chelmsford City Racecourse, Friday May 8, 2026, in Essex, England, following the 2026 local election results. (Jordan Pettitt/PA via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks to Labour Party members at Kingsdown Methodist Church Hall, in Ealing, west London, Friday May 8, 2026, a day after the local elections. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)