LAWTON – The Comanche County Sheriff’s Office will use a $300,000 state grant for a variety of projects, including buying new body armor for deputies, said Sheriff Michael Merritt.
“Most of our body armor is five to seven years old, which most of them have a life expectancy of about five years,” he said in a Dec. 28 phone interview. “So we’re upgrading that.”
Merritt said the sheriff’s office will also purchase new uniforms for the deputies, so they will not have to buy their own.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s office recently awarded $18 million in grants to every county sheriff’s office in the state, thanks to a new program that the Legislature created to support law enforcement agencies. Grant amounts ranged from $150,000 to $300,000, based on each county’s total tangible property valuation.
The money will provide additional support for sheriff’s offices throughout the state, Drummond said in a Dec. 23 news release.
“These grants will help strengthen public safety for all Oklahomans,” he said. “I appreciate the work of the Oklahoma Sheriffs’ Association and sheriff offices to ensure that every county has extra support this year.”
Eligible projects Grant recipients may use the money to help cover their operating costs, including uniforms, equipment, training and capital improvements.
In addition to buying new body armor and uniforms, the Comanche County Sheriff’s Office will use part of its grant to update the office’s computers and servers.
“We have two servers that are seven, eight years old,” Merritt said. “They have a life expectancy of five, and they’re kind of on their last legs – getting full. We have to update those.”
The sheriff’s office will use some of the grant money for other projects, including:
• Upgrading interview rooms.
• Providing additional training for deputies.
• Buying new body cameras.
• Offering small stipends for staff.
Sheriffs may not use grant funds to cover deputies’ salaries, but they may use part of the money to offer bonuses to eligible staffers, Merritt said. Supporting sheriffs The grants are designed to help sheriffs purchase items they could not otherwise afford, Merritt said.
“And so, that’s what we’re trying to do is upgrade stuff that we wouldn’t normally have the money or funds to upgrade and supply for our deputies and everything,” he said.