The Church on Main is challenging other groups to do the same after it donated to the Columbia Police Department to buy “active shooter” kits.
Senior Pastor Brian Stewart and Administrative Pastor Elmer Blanchard handed a check Friday to Chief Michael Kelly to begin the purchase of bulletproof vests and tourniquets for each patrol vehicle and officer.
“We wanted to do something meaningful to show appreciation for the police department,” Blanchard said. “When I talked to Chief Kelly and asked him about a law enforcement appreciation dinner, he said, ‘You can feed my guys or help them stay alive.’ I said, ‘Let’s talk about the second option.’ That’s when he told me about the active shooter kits.”
The kits cost about $650, and Church on Main held a fundraiser during Freedom Fest.
“We sold well over $1,000 worth of hot dogs and ice cream in spite of the rain. Now we have a total of $3,000 toward that need,” Blanchard said. “The idea is that we want to challenge other churches or businesses in the area to finish this out so they can buy all of them.”
Stewart said he had a good feeling about helping those who protect the city.
“Churches don’t pay real estate taxes like everybody else, so I think we should step up to the plate and invest in areas that maybe they fall short it,” he said. “These things may not be included in budgets. The Columbia Police Department is a place to start. We know we’ve got a sheriff’s department that is very well deserving. We want this to be a situation where churches come together, businesses come together and cooperate to meet the needs of these ladies and gentlemen.”
Stewart said they’ve also heard from the fire department about equipment that is lacking and want to help.
Kelly said the kits are important, even in a small town like Columbia.
“You only have to look around at what’s happening in the United States and you hear about active shooter events happening,” he said. “What is saving officers’ lives is proper body armor and tourniquets. We have just had a lot of training on the application of tourniquets recently. We know that it’s a good technology, but it costs money. We’re so thankful for partners that are willing to help us to make sure that every officer has the proper amount of body armor and tourniquets.”
Kelly said for $650 they can get a Level 4 vest, which is the highest quality available.
“You can take a round by a rifle. The kits also include a helmet and two tourniquets – one for the officer and one for a civilian,” the chief said. “That’s a good investment. They can be protected and be able to save lives.”
Kelly pointed out it can be both an active shooter or an “active aggressor,” like someone stabbing with a knife.
“Our focus is going to be: stop the killing, stop the dying and rapid evacuation for those people who are wounded to a trauma facility so that they can survive. Right now we are using resources and one of those is our humvee to be able to get people to medical personnel so that we can save lives,” he said. “We’ve signed an MOU (memorandum of understanding) with the fire department, so we’re bringing in medical people at the fire department so we can get those people who are injured and get immediate emergency care where it is needed.”
Pictured Above: Accepting the donation from Church on Main are officer Steven Palmer and Chief Michael Kelly of the Columbia Police Department as Senior Pastor Brian Stewart and Administrative Pastor Elmer Blanchard present the check. | Photo by Mark Rogers
