LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The University of Kentucky's police department received new protective equipment through Attorney General Russell Coleman's Body Armor Grant Program, joining dozens of law enforcement agencies across the state that have benefited from the $15 million initiative.
The grant provided UK police with 29 vests, 80 carriers, 160 rifle plates and 8 ballistic shields as part of Coleman's effort to equip Kentucky law enforcement with life-saving protective equipment.
Two Scott County Sheriff's deputies credit similar equipment with saving their lives during a tense standoff situation last November. Sergeant Andrew Johnson and Deputy Chris Moberly, who is expecting a baby girl, said the protective gear allowed them to safely navigate the dangerous situation.
"When that happened, for me, it was just training kicks in. We gotta make sure we're bringing people out but you can't just turn around and leave. You have to back out effectively. Which this allowed for us to do," Johnson said.
Moberly emphasized how the equipment provides confidence for officers responding to unknown situations.
"It gives us confidence to do our job. Not only can we go into an unknown situation knowing we'll be more safe for the public and ourselves, but also for the others responding to back us up, we'll also have that equipment," Moberly said.
Coleman said the program addresses a critical safety gap for Kentucky's law enforcement officers.
"What we're talking about is the difference in coming home at night after a shift to your family members," Coleman said.
The grant program has provided more than 2,400 vests and over 14,000 pieces of equipment to law enforcement agencies across the Commonwealth. Before the $15 million grant, approximately 20% of Kentucky's law enforcement officers were wearing expired body armor or none at all. In the last two years, that gap has closed to less than 1%.
"These are tools we hope we never need. But as you'll hear today, there's times that these things come into play and save lives," said UK Police Chief Joe Monroe.
Coleman is requesting $10 million annually for the next two years to fund a "2.0 effort" that will focus on outfitting school resource officers with protective equipment.
