As our county expands and our population increases, so do the needs of our agency. With more visitors and new residents across Lexington County, our law enforcement services to serve and protect are in higher demand. More demands mean the need for more equipment and training; oftentimes, we don’t have the financial resources for these items.
This is where the local 501(c)3 non-profit organization, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Foundation, steps in. The foundation works to foster a collaborative effort between members of the department and our citizens; it fills any void between governmental funding and the needs of the community. Through private contributions, the foundation raises funds to purchase equipment, materials and supplies for the agency, which are not provided in the annual budget.
Just this month, many citizens, organizations and businesses have stepped up to contribute to assist the foundation in its mission. Recently, the VBS students of Mount Olive Lutheran Church donated funds to help purchase training equipment for our K-9 unit, handlers and K-9 officers.
Last week, Jim Hudson Automotive announced a sizable donation to the foundation in order to purchase armored rifle plates and carriers for our school resource officers and patrol deputies. These pieces of body armor will ensure our front-line deputies are protected during active threats or other tactical situations. Each set costs about $350, we currently have 19 and the foundation will purchase an additional 70 with the donation.
Just this past weekend, many runners participated in a 5k obstacle course event—Jailbreak Escape Urban Challenge Run—to raise funds for the foundation. The foundation will use these funds to purchase deployment equipment for the Lexington County SWAT team.
We are grateful for all of these generous relationships in our community. Together, we can strengthen resources and make Lexington County a safer place. Thank you for all you do.