Why does WSPD need an MRAP?

The Willow Springs Police Department really wants you to know their recently acquired Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle was free. Braced for the impact of harsh public opinion, Chief Wes Ellison, Assistant Chief Alan Lewis, and City Administrator Beverly Hicks invited Howell County News for an exclusive look at the new acquisition minutes after it rolled into town Thursday afternoon. 

 

The only cost to the taxpayers of Willow Springs was the tank of gas for the department’s pick-up truck on the drive back and forth from Joplin, Hicks said. 

 

Rather, taxpayers already paid for it when the Department of Defense (DOD) used federal taxes to buy it. According to the manufacturer, BAE System’s website, it would have originally cost between $500,000 and one million dollars. Since then, the unity has been dispersed through DOD programs designed to equip local law enforcement agencies across the country. This particular MRAP C-MTV went first to Joplin Police Department and now belongs to WSPD. 

 

It came to Howell County recently serviced, in good repair, and with lots of spare parts – including a set of spare tires, Chief Ellison said. Hicks confirmed the cost of its use and maintenance is projected to be negligible – it does not even require an amendment to the police department’s budget. 

 

A social media post teasing this article produced ample public feedback on the acquisition.

 

The most common objection is the “militarization” of the police. It should be noted here that MRAPs, and this unit in particular, have no inherent offensive capabilities. 

 

It's essentially a bulletproof box on four-foot-high tires. 

 

Asst. Chief Lewis said he is glad the department has the MRAP because it is the only piece of equipment that could protect officers in an active shooter situation. There is no room in the department’s budget to purchase ballistic helmets or shields. A recent attempt at grant funding for these items was denied, Lewis reports. 

 

There was an active shooter situation on Main Street involving rifle fire in 2019. 

 

A vehicle like this could get police personnel safely into an active shooter situation or to evacuate civilians, or school children, Lewis said. 

 

Hicks also mentioned using the MRAP to drive through flood waters, or in other rescue capacities. The city does not currently own any vehicle that could perform a rescue in a flash flood, like the ones we saw in 2017, she said.