Greenwich Police Donate Tactical Vests, Helmets To Ukraine

GREENWICH, CT — As the eyes of the world continue to be on Ukraine, several local police agencies in Fairfield County are chipping in to help in the fight against Russia.

On Monday at the Fairfield Police Department headquarters, several elected officials and police chiefs announced a joint effort to donate more than 200 previously used ballistic vests to Ukrainian defenders to help them in protecting themselves from the ongoing Russian invasion.

The Greenwich Police Department donated 30 tactical vests and helmets. Although the used equipment is considered expired by the manufacturer, it is still functional and useful, said Sgt. John Thorme of the GPD, who helped organize the collection for the department over the last two weeks.

Other departments that participated included: Brookfield, Darien, Easton, Monroe, Norwalk, Stratford, Trumbull, Wilton, Westport and Western Connecticut State University police departments.

"Our department is a very community-oriented agency. We always reach out to help people. The Fairfield Police Chief (Robert Kalamaras) sent a message out to all the chiefs, and I put it out immediately," GPD Chief James Heavey said after a swearing-in ceremony at police headquarters in Greenwich on Monday.

The hope is the vest and helmets can be used not only by Ukrainian fighters, but also by first responders.

"The police department in Ukraine is still operating — the fire department, all of their first responders are still going to calls even during this invasion," Heavey said. "We might be from a different country, and we might wear a different patch, but we're still policemen and first responders. Hopefully this will be of some good use to them."

Hearst reported that State Rep. Laura Devlin (R-134) was looking for ways to help Ukraine, and she turned to State Sen. Tony Hwang (R-Fairfield), Kalamaras and Alex Plitsas, a Fairfield veteran, to see what could be done.

"As public safety professionals we're dedicated to protecting and serving those in our communities, but it's truly an honor and privilege of ours to be able to assist in protecting those thousands of miles away in Ukraine," Kalamaras said in a news release posted by the FPD on Facebook Tuesday. "We hope that with this donation of much-needed gear, Ukrainian civilians will have the vital protection needed throughout the ongoing war."

The collected equipment will be donated and shipped to the Ukrainian American Coordinating Council (UACC), the FPD said in a news release.