Wheatland police officers will be better protected while on duty with the help of a grant from Yuba Water Agency.
The $5,000 grant, approved today by the water agency as a part of the Bill Shaw Rescue Equipment and Training Grant Program, will help the Wheatland Police Department purchase seven new bulletproof vests.
“The men and women in blue put their lives on the line every day to protect us,” said Yuba Water Agency Board Director Gary Bradford, whose district includes Wheatland. “This funding will allow the department to provide better protection for the officers keeping our communities safe.”
The Wheatland Police Department provides general law enforcement services to the community of approximately 4,000 people, and responds to issues around the agency’s dams and hydropower facilities through mutual aid agreements. Each bulletproof vest has an expiration date and the majority of the current vests are coming up for replacement, so this funding will relieve a significant financial burden for the department.
This is another agency to benefit from Yuba Water Agency’s Bill Shaw Rescue Equipment and Training Grant Program, which was created in January, 2018. These grants are designed for first responder agencies in Yuba County and will cover the one-time costs of up to $5,000 per applicant annually, associated with the purchase of rescue equipment or specialized personnel training. The grant program was the idea of, and is named after, an employee who survived a potentially life-threatening injury, and who was extremely grateful for the emergency responders who helped save him.