Large Texas police vehicle draws attention – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

The Prosper police draw attention with a huge emergency vehicle.

On June 1, police posted a photo of the Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle on their Facebook page and invited the public to come see it.

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The posting quickly generated questions that the police department answered. First on the list was how much it cost. The police department said the vehicle was purchased at no cost to taxpayers because the $689,000 armored vehicle was obtained through the Federal 1033 Program which means it costs the city nothing.

Some readers wondered whether the program uses federal funding, which still comes from taxpayers.

“The MRAP that was reused through the 1033 program was declared surplus by the Department of Defense, it was not purchased with taxpayer dollars. It was transferred to the Prosper Police Department as a conditional loan, and it will be returned to the DOD when Prosper PD no longer needs it,” according to the Defense Logistics Agency.

The police department emphasized the versatility of the vehicle. “It is designed for high water rescues (which helped save many people during last week's flooding), active shooter situations, hostage rescues, and other critical incidents to ensure the safety of our officers and community,” the department wrote under the original Facebook post.

Police further emphasized that the emergency vehicle can assist the surrounding communities in the growing Collin County and also contribute to community involvement.

The department indicated that use of the vehicle will continue under an annual renewal agreement.

Editor's Note: The vehicle was originally incorrectly described as an armored personnel carrier. This article has been updated to include the correct name: a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle.