NAMPA -- Police using military equipment like they did with protesters in Ferguson, Missouri has become a nationwide focus.
The debate hits the valley as Nampa's mayor asked the police department to explain why it needs an armored vehicle.
It was standing room only in Nampa City Council chambers Monday night.
The MRAP has been controversial since the department got it last year. Cost isn't an issue, because it was free from the federal government, but there are concerns about how it was obtained and how some community members are reacting to it.
The mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle, or MRAP, has been used 13 times since September 2013.
Nampa Police Chief Craig Kingsbury says it is only used in high-risk situations.
"Not just protection for police but for my daughter, your son," Kingsbury said.
One of the biggest concerns about the MRAP has been the intimidation factor.
Harmony Rice wanted to hear the chief's presentation because she says it scares the community.
"It makes us wonder - what it's really necessary for," Rice said.
But Kingsbury says it's not about "probability, it's about possibility," and being prepared for the worst.
"We look at what's been going on across the country in school shootings, workplace shootings, and I think that's something we would be glad to have this tool to get them to safety and get them help more quickly than without this," Kingsbury said.
A policy is now going to be drawn up between the city and the police department for using the MRAP. Mayor Bob Henry says it wasn't done with city council approval before.
"The whole way we got it was kind of secretive, so lets just bring it out in the open and that's what we did tonight," Henry said.
"I feel good about the discussion we had," Kingsbury said.
Several other Idaho cities have an MRAP including Caldwell, Boise and Twin Falls.
