Holiday giving will buy ballistic shields

Clarice Doyle, Claremore Daily Progress, Okla.
·2 min read

Dec. 2—Last week, on the parking lot of Ne-Mar Center, Trey and Cole Lambert, with Perfect Turf, presented Rogers County Sheriff Scott Walton a gift, a $1,600 check in support of local law enforcement.

The check goes to the Stand 1st Foundation, a local nonprofit tasked with providing "tools, resources, assistance and support for law enforcement officers and their families."

Walton said the Stand 1st Foundation has been fulfilling that mission by purchasing "essential pieces of safety equipment" known as ballistic shields for law enforcement agencies who work daily with local school districts to protect students, staff and the community.

The Lamberts construct the giant Christmas tree for Ne-Mar Center, seen on Will Rogers Blvd., every holiday season. Through their business Perfect Turf, the Lamberts put up and take down Christmas lighting throughout community and residential areas of Rogers County and the greater Tulsa metropolitan regional on the off season when they are not busy doing lawn care and landscaping. This year they decided to donate some of the proceeds from their work to the Sheriff's "good cause."

Speaking about the ballistic shields the Lamberts money will help purchase, Walton said, "I don't know of another piece of equipment shy of a weapon that can protect an officer and not just officers but bystanders. A lot of our time, is the time it takes to approach and neutralize a threat and is also knowing that threat has community victims in mind.

"Often we ask officers to put themselves in harm's way without the property equipment. And just think about that; $1,500 to $2,500 worth of equipment could save an officer, could save a firefighter, save an EMT doing a job many won't," Walton said.

In October, another local business Suburban Chevrolet, Claremore, donated $5,000 for shields through the 2023 Chevy First Responder Program. This was the second year, Suburban Chevrolet joined with The Stand 1st Foundation.

Ryan Sheehan, executive director of Stand 1st Foundation, said these donations not only aid in "equipping officers with essential tools but also fosters a sense of unity and appreciation within the community."

Equipping police departments who work with local school districts through the school resource officers program is a priority of Stand 1st. Some of the regional communities benefitting from the program include Collinsville and Skiatook Police Departments. In October this year, a shield was presented to Bartlesville Police Department Student Resource Officer Caleb Samson.

Other law agencies receiving shields include the Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office, Muskogee Police Department, Muskogee County Sheriff's Office and the Fort Gibson Police Department.