Monongahela Rotary Club aids Police Vest Fund
By KRISTIE LINDEN
klinden@yourmvi.com
The Monongahela Rotary is the latest community organization to make a donation to the City of Monongahela’s Police Vest Fund.
The Rotary Club donated $500 to the fund drive, sponsored by the Monongahela Area Revitalization Corp., which set up a separate account to house the donations.
MARC is a nonprofit organization made up of volunteers living, working or interested in the sustained development of the Greater Monongahela area, including Carroll Township, Monongahela and New Eagle.
MARC launched the effort in March because 15 of the 22 certified police officers serving Monongahela, New Eagle, Finleyville and Union Township do not have a bulletproof vest that is compliant with the National Institute of Justice standards.
Certified vests run anywhere from $800 to $1,200 each. Variations in price are due to the different threat levels or thickness of the body armor.
“FBI statistics show that from 1987-2015, 92% of felonious deaths of law enforcement officers in the line of duty in the United States were due to firearms,” said Monongahela police Chief Kevin Harris. “However, the data from cases that show the officer was shot in the torso revealed that those who wore body armor were 76% less likely to be killed than those who did not.”
Monongahela mandates that its officers wear the vests while on duty.
“Monongahela Rotary Club’s support of this project is greatly appreciated,” Harris said. “Their contribution to the fund will help protect our officers, as have the other organizations and individuals’ donations.”
The Monongahela Rotary Club’s decision to donate to the vest project was approved after a presentation was made by Harris, Sgt. Ryan Lenzi and MARC President George Eckert.
Eckert said the Rotary’s Rubber Duckie Derby and its annual golf outing help to fund local projects, including its Ringgold Scholarship Award.
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