Nixa police acquire 'beast of a vehicle'

Nixa Police have recently acquired a mine resistant ambush protected, or MRAP, vehicle from the Department of Defense — for no charge.

They plan to use the vehicle if there is an armed encounter in a workplace, school, or public area.

"The vehicle can best be described as a large beast of a vehicle," says Nixa Lt. Joe Campbell, in a news release. Campbell helped get the vehicle to Nixa from Texas.

These large vehicles were originally manufactured to protect U.S. soldiers during combat. But with a recent drawback of troops overseas, the vehicles became surplus and made more than 7,000 were made available to police departments.

The vehicles will go to the Nixa and Joplin police departments and the Christian County Sheriff's Office.

"The vehicle is strictly for defensive use and is not equipped with any weaponry at all," says Nixa Police Chief Jimmy Liles, in a release. "It is bullet-proof, and will be used to protect police officers as well as citizens in harm's way."

A review of Nixa Police incidents over the past five years shows officers would have used it twice — when armed subjects were barricaded in buildings, the release said.

"We always hope those things won't happen," says Liles. "But we can't have that 'it won't happen here' approach. It is our job to prepare for the worst."

The MRAP could also be an asset after a natural disaster such as a tornado. It would be able to move through debris where most other vehicles couldn't go to rescue victims, the release said.

"With the costs of civilian versions of these vehicles reaching over $150,000, many times it is financially impossible for police department to acquire this type of asset. It's only logical that we take advantage of this program to meet our needs" Campbell said in the release.

The Nixa Police received the vehicle at no charge but it took $800 in fuel expenses, to drive from Texas to Nixa. The vehicle came with a new set spare tires and an engine warranty from Caterpillar.