By Suzie Ziegler
SARASOTA, Fla. — Like many, Sarasota County Sheriff Kurt Hoffman was moved by the surreal and horrific images of the war in Ukraine. When the U.S. Department of Defense called for police agencies to send extra equipment to the warfront, Hoffman knew he could help.
Now, the sheriff’s department will be donating ballistic helmets to protect Ukrainian fighters, reported FOX 13.
“We knew we had over 300 of these that were set to be destroyed, we thought this was a good way to divert those and help those people,” Hoffman said. “They specifically asked for these. We hope it does help them.”
According to Hoffman, the helmets were set to expire under manufacturer standards.
“These are in our inventory that our folks in patrol have access to. They expire from time to time and we have to get rid of the older ones. Still good otherwise,” he said.
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The U.S. Department of Defense hopes to supply more than 5,000 helmets to Ukraine in the coming weeks, Hoffman said. The supplies will be distributed to citizens fighting in the streets, reported FOX 13.
Hoffman says he hopes to have some small part in fighting for Ukraine’s democracy.
“When you think about our country and having the democracy and freedoms that we’ve had for over 250 years, to see another country fight for what we’ve already fought for and in some countries take for granted, it’s emotional to watch those folks with handguns and rifles and some wearing ballistic helmets similar to this in the street fighting, toe to toe with the Russian aggression,” he said.