Police grateful as nonprofit donates safety vests | Palatka Daily News, Palatka, Florida

Palatka Police Department Capt. Matt Newcomb holds a vest the department received from InVestUSA President Mike Letts on Wednesday morning.
Palatka Police Chief Jason Shaw holds two plates that go inside active shooter protective vests as InVestUSA President Mike Letts, center, and Palatka Police Capt. Matt Newcomb stand behind him.
The 10 vests donated by InVestUSA to the Palatka Police Department are displayed Wednesday.
Positively Putnam FL

The Palatka Police Department secured 10 active shooter vests from a nonprofit Wednesday with about 20 officers and other staff members on-hand for the donation.

The active shooter vests have heavy titanium plates to stop rifle rounds. The vests were donated by InVestUSA.

InVestUSA President Michael Letts, who founded the nonprofit in 1993, said first responders are the heart of America.

He said law enforcement officers have high stress levels and it’s important to emphasize the positives of their service.

“What we’re here to do is tell you the community loves and supports you,” Letts said. “Always keep that in mind.”

He estimated a million law enforcement officers in the country need tactical shooter vests and about 400,000 need body armor. The need for armor to protect officers is tremendous, Letts said, because the lack of life-saving tools could lead to a disaster.

In a press release, Letts referred to an Orlando Police Department officer killed by gunfire in 2018 and two FBI agents killed in Sunrise earlier this year while conducting a search warrant. An officer, Eric Talley, was killed Monday after responding to a mass shooter at a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado.

Letts said he was contacted by World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War veteran and Marine Gerald Tower, 92, about coming to Palatka. Tower could not be in attendance for the presentation, but Letts called it an honor to assist the police department on behalf of Tower.

“(Tower) said, ‘I want to help take care of the guys who take care of us and get them some vests,’” Letts said. “I thought that was a unique story.”

Palatka Police Chief Jason Shaw said Tower’s push for the vests was remarkable. He said community support is always important for law enforcement officers and the vests would put to good use.

“Gifts like this are what we like to see and it gets the morale of our officers up and going to know that we have support from the community,” Shaw said. “From the police department and the city, we give a big warm thank you and we really do appreciate it.”