Eight sets of unusable level 3A ballistic armor are now on their way from Haywood County to Ukraine thanks to a serendipitous partnership involving law enforcement, nonprofits and elected officials from the federal to the local level.To get more news about bullet proof vest, you can visit bulletproofboxs.com official website.

“I personally, along with the office and I think I speak on behalf of the sheriff as well, am very honored to be able to participate in this,” said Jeff Haynes, chief deputy with the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office. “It’s a very small but very important piece that could potentially save someone’s life and further the causes against the transgressions that are being pushed upon the Ukrainian people right now.”

Every one of Haywood County’s 80 or so full-time sworn deputies wears body armor on a regular basis; however, the donated vests — heavier and bulkier than the rest — are only used for the county’s special operations group.

Armor is rated by the National Institute of Justice, based on a scale from 1 to 5. Level 1 armor no longer meets the NIJ’s standards, so it isn’t preferred for law enforcement use, but levels 2 though 5 can be. The “a” designation means the armor is more effective than the lower level armor but doesn’t meet the protection standards of the higher level, so the 3A armor donated by Haywood County could effectively be called “2.5” — better than 2, but not quite 3.

Nonetheless, it can protect against calibers as large as .357 and .44. Vests offering both front and back armor cost upwards of $2,500, but they don’t last forever. The shelf life, they have just increased it to 10 years as of a couple of years ago. Prior to that, it was five years. I’ll be quite honest with you. I would have no problem whatsoever wearing it,” Haynes said. “Many, many years ago I was wearing Vietnam-era flak jackets, and I felt very secure with those as well. I think the actual life versus the manufacturer’s recommendation, probably there’s probably a huge gap there.”

Haywood County uses the expired armor for training purposes, mostly to get deputies accustomed to carrying out their duties while wearing it. If the time comes when it’s needed, Haynes said, then deputies are already familiar with how it feels, and how it affects performance.

Similar to other surplus county property disposal proceedings, Haywood commissioners approved the donation to Samaritan’s Purse during a meeting on July 18.

“These were rotated out of the normal operational rotation just very recently,” Haynes said. “They have already been replaced because we, via our budget, replace so many a year as they fall through their expiration dates.”

The county’s staggered replacement program ensures a steady flow of new equipment, so the armor donation won’t leave Haywood’s deputies unprotected, like aid workers in Ukraine are.

“Since the end of February, Samaritan’s Purse has been working on the ground in Ukraine. Our brave church partners are delivering food and other life-saving supplies to areas that are currently under siege. They are risking their lives to help people,” said Kaitlyn Lahm, assistant director of marketing and media relations for Samaritan’s Purse. “Body armor can help keep them safe as they deliver basic necessities to innocent civilians in great need.”

On Feb. 24, Russia invaded Ukraine, initially making substantial gains until “refocusing” their efforts to the eastern part of the country after encountering staunch resistance from Ukrainian fighters and substantial opposition from western countries, including the United States.