KINGSTON – Tuesday was the 136th day of 2023 and to date, there have been 225 mass shootings around the country.
With that horrifying statistic in mind, the Ulster County Legislature Tuesday night voted to spend $357,000 to purchase a Bearcat G3 armored vehicle for the sheriff’s office.
An emotional Legislature Chairwoman Tracey Bartels said that unfortunately, that tool is needed to keep police safe while protecting school children and other innocent victims.
“I cannot in good conscience put our officers in harm’s way sending them to face weapons of war created for the sole purpose of killing human beings without the proper tools,” she said. “Gun violence is not inevitable, but it is the status quo. We prepare our children by providing armed officers and having them practice active shooter drills. We hope that they will come home safely.”
In separate votes, lawmakers approved providing a deputy sheriff as a school resource officer in both the Rondout Valley and Onteora school districts.
