Dateline: December 20, 2001

Sheriff's office gets $10k  grant for equipment

Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

Within hours of turning in a grant application last week, the Donley County Sheriff’s Department was notified it was approved for $10,000 through the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to purchase new equipment.

County commissioners authorized the application last Monday. Chief Deputy Randy Bond presented the application to the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission at 10 a.m. last Thursday, and the PRPC notified Sheriff Butch Blackburn his department was a winner at 4:30 Thursday afternoon.

Blackburn said he was surprised by how quick the response came. His office should receive the money within 45 to 60 days. He credited Malcolm Hartman with the PRPC for helping to write the department’s application and Bond for a successful presentation.

The sheriff said he intends to purchase new light bars for four patrol cars and five new Colt M4 assault rifles.

The department’s current assault rifles consist of a Korean War era Army surplus M2 rifle and two M1 rifles that are even older, Blackburn said.

Donley County will provide a $1,282 match for the grant.