Шериф округа Перри передал новому школьному полицейскому департаменту оружие, броню и патрульные автомобили

The Perry County Sheriff’s Office has donated firearms, protective equipment and patrol vehicles to the newly established Perry County Schools Police Department, helping outfit the agency as it prepares to provide school security throughout the district. Sheriff Joe Engle said establishing a law enforcement presence in every county school was among his earliest priorities after taking office. “One of the first goals I was able to achieve once elected sheriff was having a school resource officer placed in every school in the Perry County School District beginning day one in 2019,” said Engle. Engle said the sheriff’s office continued investing in equipment for its deputies and school resource officers during the years that followed despite operating with limited resources. “With very limited resources as a small Eastern KY sheriff's office, over the next seven years we were able to equip our deputies and resource officers with top-of-the-line equipment,” he said. Following the Perry County School District’s decision to establish its own police agency, Engle said the sheriff’s office saw an opportunity to assist the department as it prepared to assume responsibility for school security. “When Perry County Schools contacted us about starting their own police agency, I thought it was a great plan for them and wanted to help them get started,” Engle said. “PCSO was able to donate eight handguns, duty belts with all the equipment, eight rifles, ballistic vests and four cruisers to help the Perry County School District to be ready on day one to protect our children. We also saw this as a way to save the taxpayers of Perry County from having to buy this equipment all over again.” The donated equipment will allow resources previously used by the sheriff’s office school resource officers to remain dedicated to protecting students while also reducing startup costs for the district’s new police department, he said. Engle said cooperation between law enforcement agencies and other emergency responders remains an important part of providing public safety throughout Perry County. “It’s important to have great working relationships with all law enforcement agencies and first responders in your county when you are sheriff,” he said. “I felt like we have been able to foster that kind of environment here over the last eight years. I look forward to and hope the next sheriff will do the same.”