DRUMRIGHT — Drumright Police Department was chosen by the One Badge Foundation to receive a $20,000 gift. According to Drumright Police Chief Chris Reinke, the donation marks the first official contribution of this kind from the foundation, which will be used to purchase non-lethal equipment.
“This wasn’t a grant, per se—we didn’t apply for it,” said Reinke. “That foundation gifted it to us because our department met their criteria. We were actually the very first department they awarded any money to.”
The donation will be used exclusively to purchase lesslethal tools for local law enforcement such as pepper spray and batons.
“One Badge is really specific to officer safety, public safety, and non-lethal approaches,” Reinke explained. “They won’t purchase any type of lethal equipment—you can’t buy guns or stuff like that with those funds.”
He went on to say the foundation is largely composed of current and former law enforcement and military personnel, including members of its council.
“From what I gather, one of those members actually nominated Drumright Police Department,” he said.
The department has been without non-lethal equipment for over a decade with the last known tasers having been decommissioned in 2013.
“Historically, officers have had their hands and their guns—and you can’t operate that way.”
Reinke noted the pressing need for options between physical force and a firearm stating he has had to contact the county sheriff’s department half a dozen times over the years to receive those options. Prior to receiving the funds the chief had already outlined the department’s needs despite knowing the budget wouldn’t allow for immediate purchases.
“With this award, I’m going to be able to buy a dozen or half a dozen cans of pepper spray so that they are sitting in a supply room, available—and a half dozen batons for officers to choose to carry,” he said.
The foundation’s long-term goal is to become a fulltime, year-round resource for law enforcement agencies in need, according to Reinke. He said the foundation has built relationships with a number of vendors and hopes to eventually become a resource for equipment to departments that have limited funds.
The foundation, which core values revolve around officer safety and promoting safer interactions with the public aims to make similar contributions on an annual basis to help bridge the gap for departments that struggle with tight budgets, according to Reinke. As the One Badge Foundation looks toward future partnerships, departments across the region will hopefully soon have a resource for non-lethal tools that help keep both officers and the communities they serve safer.