Local law enforcement agencies now have in their fleet a mine resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicle given to them by the Department of Defense for free, just pick one up in Texas and foot the bill for fuel (upwards of $800). More than 7,000 were given to law enforcement agencies across the United States, including Joplin, the Christian County Sheriff's Department and Nixa. At a cost of at least $150,000 each, that factors out to over a billion dollars for a vehicle that the U.S. decided was needed late in the game to protect soldiers in combat from the effects of riding over improvised explosive devices (IEDs). (Accoding to reliable source IEDs killed 3,000 troops and wounded 33,000 others.) That expense, of course, is minor compared to the cost of the Iraqi war itself which could have alleviated world hunger for 30 years. What the local agencies will need them for, besides statuary in the park, remains to be seen.