Fundraiser Hopes To Help Local Law Enforcement Stay Safer

A fundraiser currently underway looks to help purchase plate armor for Oskaloosa police officers.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – A fundraiser is underway to help Oskaloosa police officers get additional body armor, in order to counter the threat of a shooter with a long rifle.

Oskaloosa Police Officers already have some of the best soft body armor available to them, but the mother of an officer, Amy DeKleine, saw the need for even more protection.

The need for body armor capable of stopping a long rifle became apparent after Oskaloosa officers responded to an incident in Ottumwa, where a suspect was armed with a rifle.

Oskaloosa Police Chief Ben Boeke spoke with Oskaloosa News about the fundraiser taking place to help the police department acquire the plate armor. “She [DeKleine] wanted to help. She asked me, how can I help? How can I get involved? If I can raise some funds, can we purchase that for all of our officers?”

Boeke said he was in the process of looking at plate armor for officers, “I hadn’t gotten to the point that I had decided on anything yet, or approached the city leadership about that.”

“She [DeKleine] immediately started contacting people, contacting businesses, and it sounds like this is really taking off. A lot of people in this community are concerned for the safety of our police officers, which is a wonderful thing. People have been donating and it sounds like this has gone a lot faster than anyone expected it to, which is amazing to me,” said Boeke.

The cost per officer to outfit with plate armor varies from $1500 for one set down to $300 per set. Price varies by the technology used, such as ceramic plates which are much lighter but more costly, to steel technology which is heavier but cheaper.

Boeke said that what law enforcement is encountering more often is a suspect armed with a long rifle, versus a handgun.

The extra weight of additional armor is an important consideration as well. During the incident in Ottumwa this past summer, the extra weight of a plate vest did cause increased fatigue, particularly in the nearly 100-degree day.

Those officers that had their own metal plate vests were carrying around an additional 40 pounds, “They were out on foot walking through fields and looking for people. That fatigue is a real problem at that point and time; if you’re talking more than 20 minutes walking around with these things, they can get very heavy.”

Boeke said that the plate armor would be available to each officer on the force, and not just part of the equipment included in each squad car. Each officer would then be able to put on the additional armor when they know there is an elevated risk of violence or long guns are a possibility. “In a matter of 30 seconds, they could be highly armored and ready to go.”

“I just think it’s wonderful to see the community jump behind this and want to support this and get ahead of it. Soft body armor which we already issue, that’s the national standard for police officers. That is what’s normally issued, and we’ve always followed that. This is really going to put Oskaloosa and this area on the cutting edge of safety just having these things available if you need it; and if you don’t have it, there’s nothing you can do. You can’t hide behind a vehicle. You can’t hide behind a tree. Rifle rounds will go through all of that stuff,” said Boeke. “This is just one additional safety piece that we can use.”

“It’s amazing to me to see the community want to get behind it,” added Boeke in closing.

If you would like to donate, checks can be made out to:
City of Oskaloosa. Please write “vests” on the memo line.
Mailing address is:
214 High Ave East
Oskaloosa IA 52577