The sheriff’s office received $15,566 last year to buy 30 of the $692 bullet-proof vests. The county’s 25 percent portion of the total cost was $5,188 for a total of $20,754, according to Chief Deputy Anthony Dwyer. He said they are applying for $15,219 more in grants for 22 vests next year.
“We’re going to have to provide this armor regardless, so for all these people I would have had to outfit anyway, that’s part of their job,” Dwyer said. “By having this grant available, it reduced our expenses from $20,000 to $5,000, so it’s been a very well-received grant.”
Ross Twp. received $8,159 under the grant program last year and bought 16 of the $600-plus vests. Police Chief Burt Roberts said he just applied for another $6,653 grant. He said the department is hiring new part-timers and the vests only have a five-year shelf life.
“Body armor is only good for five years, that’s just what the manufacturer specs it out to,” he said. “It’s not like at the end of the fifth year it’s just going to stop stopping bullets or something like that, but the material starts breaking down.”
MORE: Elected officials getting two-year pay bumps in Butler County: Here’s how much
MetroParks of Butler County recently received a $4,393 grant to buy new body armor for park rangers.
Chief of Rangers for MetroParks David VanArsdale said they were able to purchase nine replacement vests. He said the parks haven’t had dangerous incidents, but they prepare for all possibilities.
“The rangers are the law enforcement officers through the Butler County MetroParks and unfortunately they face a lot of the same dangers that other law enforcement in the state and other municipalities face,” he said. “We just want to keep our rangers safe as we can.”
VanArsdale said he has 10 park rangers patrolling more than 5,000 acres in 11 parks owned by MetroParks and some municipal and county parks they manage. He said the new vests arrived a couple months ago and they are much less bulky than the previous vests.
The Friends of MetroParks provided the $1,464 local match necessary to obtain the grant.
“We would have had to reach into our budget to purchase the vests,” he said. “This way we were able to leverage our local tax dollars and get them at no cost to our budget.”
In fiscal year 2019, the Attorney General’s office awarded more than $3.5 million in grants to 405 local law enforcement agencies statewide, according to the AG’s website. The program has been renewed for fiscal year 2020.
“Our local cops continue to protect us from danger day in and day out, now this support for them will continue as well,” said Attorney General Dave Yost said. “I’m proud to see that these grants are helping to protect officers in every corner of our state. It’s a meaningful way to show our profound thanks for all they do.”
The Oxford, Seven Mile and Trenton police departments have also received grants for a total countywide award of $43,448.
“They are very expensive, so we’re very happy,” Seven Mile Mayor Vivian Gorsuch said of the village’s $5,252 grant. “We do try to seek out grants, being a small village.”
Butler County body armor grants
Butler County Sheriff’s office: $15,566
MetroParks of Butler County: $4,394
Oxford: $5,457
Ross Twp.: $8,159
Seven Mile: $5,252
Trenton: $4,620
Total: $43,448
About the Author