By The Blount Countian Staff | on November 04, 2020

Law enforcement agencies across the state were recently notified of free personal protection kits that were being distributed to police departments, sheriffs’ offices, and criminal justice agencies. They were made available to agencies that did not qualify for direct federal coronavirus emergency funds. The pre-assembled kits contain needed supplies for personal protection, sanitation, and disinfection.

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) received the funds from the U.S. Department of Justice. It was then up to the staff of ADECA’s law enforcement program to devise a plan to get the supplies in the hands of law enforcement agencies, jails, prisons, and detention centers.

Kits are valued between $4,000 and $5,000 and include items such as gloves, masks, hand sanitizer, and disinfectant spray; an electric pressure washer; and a fogger with disinfectant liquid. All are desperately needed.

ADECA distributed the kits to agencies based on the number of employees.

Snead Police Chief Steve Gunn traveled to Montgomery on Wednesday, Oct. 28, to pick up supplies for his agency. He said the one kit Snead Police Department received will help them tremendously and will make a huge impact, not only for their agency, but for the local community as well.

Prior to the availability of the kits, Gunn said that if an officer was notified he had transported an inmate who was positive for COVID-19, the officer would have to return the patrol car to base. Next, the department would have to contact an outside decontamination agency to thoroughly clean and disinfect the patrol car. This process could take anywhere from two to four days, not to mention the cost of disinfecting the vehicle.

Now, with the decontamination items from the kit, the patrol car can return to base, be disinfected free of charge, and be back on the road within 30 minutes to an hour. In addition to the time saved, the items in the kit will help the department save hundreds of dollars that can be used elsewhere.

Gunn was also impressed with the simplicity of the grant process. According to Bill Whatley, chief of the public servant unit of the law enforcement division, the grant was applied for in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Once funds were received, bulk items contained in the kits were purchased. Proceeding this way relieved the separate agencies from having to individually file for the grant.

Being a small agency, Gunn is extremely grateful for the supplies. He said, “This is huge for our agency and our community.” He noted a special thanks to Tommie Reese, the law enforcement coordinator for the attorney general’s office, for forwarding the email about the availability of the kits.

Gunn mentioned that he knew of several Blount County agencies that were coordinating together for pickups not only for themselves, but on behalf of other local agencies. ADECA plans to make follow-up calls to ensure that kits have been received by eligible agencies.

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