The Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Department finalized its design of a new mobile command post to be used in emergency situations, county officials said, with the vehicle expected to be built by spring 2018. Fort Bend County Sheriff's Capt. Matt Carter, division commander of emergency operations for the sheriff’s department was primarily responsible for designing the vehicle, which was funded with a grant of $840,000 federal grant. A mobile command vehicle resembles a recreational vehicle, said Sheriff's Maj. James Hines, the Enforcement Bureau commander. It allows officers to manage and oversee activities in the field and is usually used for long-term operations. It will be approximately 35 feet long, he said. The command post vehicle will also have a high-definition camera to capture near real-time footage from helicopters and overlay it to a map grid, which is helpful in search-and-rescue operations, Carter said. The technology system will be upgraded so that it is more compatible with those of the region’s other law enforcement agencies, Carter said. Inside, the vehicle will have a conference space, while a radio technology system will allow the vehicle to track calls, dispatch calls, and act as a communication center, Carter said. The sheriff’s department has outgrown its current mobile command post because the department and county’s population has grown so much, Carter said. “When we get this [command post] delivered next year, it’s going to be a state-of-the-art vehicle in terms of technology,” Carter said. “It’s going to have more room [for officers] to be able to work inside of it so that we’re better able to serve almost regardless of the type of situation.” The sheriff’s department purchased the machine through Siddons-Martin Emergency Group, said Carter. It will be built by Frontline Communications, a company that specializes in broadcast and communications vehicles. “It’s a fantastic opportunity for the sheriff’s office to be able to better serve the citizens,” he said. “We never know what type of incidents could occur. We know we’re going to be better able to respond with this vehicle than we can now.”