Sheriff’s office receives welcome gift
December 9, 2020
Shown above, in the back row, left to right, Deputy Randy Kalbaugh, Deputy Cody Stephens, and Chief Deputy Angela Cole wear the new ballistic vests purchased for the Barry County Sheriff’s Office by the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Lodge 4155, in Shell Knob.
In the front row, left to right, are lodge members Steve Kahler, Danny Brown, Jim Johnson, Frank Bemarco, and Wes Scherer.
In the front row, left to right, are lodge members Steve Kahler, Danny Brown, Jim Johnson, Frank Bemarco, and Wes Scherer.
Sheila Harris
The Barry County Sheriff’s Office received an unexpected gift last week from the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Lodge 4155, in Shell Knob: 23 new ballistic vests, one for each current deputy as well as those in training.
Jim Johnson, past president and spokesperson for the Eagles, said the lodge likes to make gifts to people or organizations when they’re aware there’s a need.
“This year,” Johnson said, “with all of the negativity that’s been shown toward law enforcement, including the ‘Defund the Police’ movement, we thought it would be nice to show the sheriff’s office a little support. We reached out to Sheriff Davis to ask him what we could do for his department. ‘Funny you should ask,’ he told me.”
Davis told Johnson that his officers were hoping to acquire some ballistic vests, but he wasn’t sure if the lodge was prepared to cover the expense it would entail.
“After discussing it fellow member at our next lodge meeting,” Johnson said, “we voted unanimously to outfit the whole force with the ballistic vests at a total cost of almost $5,000.”
Sheriff Davis thanks the Eagles profusely.
“These vests are much more practical than what we were using,” he said. “The old vests had to be worn beneath a shirt and became almost intolerable in the middle of summer.”
Davis said each of the new vests weighs about 20 pounds and is designed to contain equipment that previously had to be carried on a belt.
According to Jim Johnson, the Eagles Lodge in Shell Knob has about 215 members. In the past the lodge purchased new doors for the Shell Knob Senior Center and a freezer for a local food pantry.
The Barry County Sheriff’s Office received an unexpected gift last week from the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Lodge 4155, in Shell Knob: 23 new ballistic vests, one for each current deputy as well as those in training.
Jim Johnson, past president and spokesperson for the Eagles, said the lodge likes to make gifts to people or organizations when they’re aware there’s a need.
“This year,” Johnson said, “with all of the negativity that’s been shown toward law enforcement, including the ‘Defund the Police’ movement, we thought it would be nice to show the sheriff’s office a little support. We reached out to Sheriff Davis to ask him what we could do for his department. ‘Funny you should ask,’ he told me.”
Davis told Johnson that his officers were hoping to acquire some ballistic vests, but he wasn’t sure if the lodge was prepared to cover the expense it would entail.
“After discussing it fellow member at our next lodge meeting,” Johnson said, “we voted unanimously to outfit the whole force with the ballistic vests at a total cost of almost $5,000.”
Sheriff Davis thanks the Eagles profusely.
“These vests are much more practical than what we were using,” he said. “The old vests had to be worn beneath a shirt and became almost intolerable in the middle of summer.”
Davis said each of the new vests weighs about 20 pounds and is designed to contain equipment that previously had to be carried on a belt.
According to Jim Johnson, the Eagles Lodge in Shell Knob has about 215 members. In the past the lodge purchased new doors for the Shell Knob Senior Center and a freezer for a local food pantry.