Ellis Arnold
earnold@coloradocommunitymedia.com
After the Colorado governor’s office called upon law enforcement agencies statewide to donate defensive equipment to help Ukraine in its fight against Russia, the Englewood Police Department responded to the state’s request.
“Gov. Polis made a request through the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police for an urgent effort to donate surplus ballistic protection to the citizens and soldiers defending their country in Ukraine,” Englewood police Deputy Chief Vance Fender said in a statement. “We partnered with other CACP agencies throughout the state in this endeavor.”
The Englewood Police Department donated eight rifle plates and 38 helmets, according to the statement.
The Englewood police equipment was no longer being used because the type of equipment had either been upgraded due to expiration or replaced with safer equipment, Englewood police said in a tweet.
“Even though this gear was no longer being used here, it can still provide protection to the wearer,” the March 17 tweet continued.
Polis announced that the Colorado Department of Public Safety and the Colorado Department of Military and Veterans Affairs collected more than 1,000 ballistic helmets and nearly 840 complete sets of surplus body armor from over 25 local law enforcement agencies to send to the Ukrainian people in their “fight for freedom and democracy,” the governor’s office said in a March 14 news release.
“In the true spirit of Colorado, I am proud that Colorado law enforcement stepped up to support the brave people of Ukraine,” Polis said in the release. “We are doing everything we can to support Ukraine’s fight for freedom, and this surplus body armor is urgently needed to help save lives, stop Putin’s ruthless aggression, and save Ukraine.”
The governor’s office encouraged members of the public who want to support Ukraine to make a financial donation to any of the international nonprofit organizations that are helping civilians impacted by the war. The U.S. State Department has partnered with GoFundMe to address the humanitarian needs of the people affected by the Russian aggression against Ukraine, according to the news release.
See the GoFundMe page for more details.
