Marshall County Sheriff’s deputies can feel just a little bit safer on the job.
Each of the department’s 26 deputies – including court security officers – received new protective vests Tuesday, courtesy of a $17,290 Law Enforcement Personal Protection grant administered through the office of Homeland Security. According to correspondence from Gov. Matt Bevin’s office, grant funding comes from the sale of weapons confiscated by state law enforcement agencies and sold by Kentucky State Police. Marshall County Sheriff’s Office applied for the grant in the spring; the department was awarded the grant July 10.
The grant funded about 75 percent of the cost of the new Kevlar vests, Byars said.
It was a necessary expenditure, Sheriff Kevin Byars said. The department’s existing vests were set to expire at the end of 2017. Officer safety, Byars said, was critical given their line of work.
“I can give you the perfect expample; it’s what happened in Colorado … You never know with what we do,” Byars said. “That was simply a domestic, or so they thought, you know. We’re all the time approaching unopened doors because we’re serving process or warrants or whatnot. Traffic stops, we do not know what’s to happen with those, and that’s just a way to make sure that our guys go home to their families at night. It’s a mandate in our policy that you wear it.”
Byars said the county isn’t the only agency to require the vests as part of their uniform. Often mandatory firearms training requires officers wear vests to participate.
MCSO Maj. David Maddox said the new armor will remain effective for 60 months – five years – from the date of manufacturing. The new protective wear, custom fit to each deputy and manufactured by Armor Express, is a step up from previous wear. Maddox said the vests were a level three and included a trauma plate. The trauma plate helps prevent injury from penetrator rounds and the blunt force trauma associated with coming under fire.
The vests came at an expense of about $800 each.