Homeland security funds help Wythe, Bland

By NATE HUBBARD/Staff

Two Wythe County high schools will soon be getting a boost in school security thanks to a $5,000 Homeland Security grant accepted by the Wythe County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.
Grants totaling more than $200,000 were awarded last week across Virginia, according to a news release from Gov. Tim Kaine.
The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice administered the grants, but funds came through the federal Department of Homeland Security’s Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program.
The 53 localities that received funds, capped at $5,000 to each entity, were not required to match the federal dollars.
Wythe County will use its funds to purchase two collapsible ballistic shields, said Chief Deputy Keith Dunagan of the Sheriff’s Office.
One shield each will go to the resource officer at Fort Chiswell High School and Rural Retreat High School. Dunagan said he hopes that the shields will be purchased and in place at the schools by the end of the school year.
“We wanted to have them at the schools in case we had an active shooter situation,” Dunagan said.
The Sheriff’s Office has a few hard shields available at its Wytheville headquarters, but Dunagan said the new collapsible shields will be the first shields kept on-site at the school buildings.
He added that they decided to put the shields at Fort Chiswell and Rural Retreat instead of George Wythe High School since the shields at the headquarters could be brought to the nearby school much faster in an emergency situation.
While all deputies in the field, including school resource officers, wear protective vests, Dunagan said the new shields will provide stronger protection against heavier artillery.
“It’s something you can have on-hand that would immediately give you protection,” Dunagan said, adding that a resource officer could also use one of the shields to provide cover for an unprotected passerby.
The shields’ collapsible nature also makes them easier to maneuver than the rigid models the Sheriff’s Office currently has on hand, the chief deputy said.
In addition, the Sheriff’s Office’s tactical team will have access to the new shields if they are needed for one of their operations.
Bland County also received a grant through the Homeland Security program, but for only $1,665.
County Administrator Jonathan Sweet said he was disappointed in the relatively small amount the county received, but said it seemed like the funds were mostly awarded on a per capita basis, putting Bland County at a disadvantage.
Sweet also acknowledged that Bland County probably isn’t too high on a traditional terrorist’s hit list.
“We are going to keep Al-Qaeda out of Bland County and still have $750 to spare,” Sweet jokingly said.
In seriousness, though, Sweet said the funds will go toward purchasing first responder equipment. The money has not been specifically earmarked yet beyond that general designation.
Sweet also pointed out that Bland County does have critical transportation infrastructure with Interstate 77 running through the locality between the Big Walker Mountain and East River Mountain tunnels.
Bland County police, emergency workers and firefighters usually are the first people on the scene of any incident that takes place in the tunnels or on the stretch of I-77 roadway, he added.
Although the grant amount was less than the county might have been hoping for, Sweet said he didn’t have any equipment specifically in mind when applying for the grant.
“We don’t put the cart in front of the horse with expectations,” he said. “That money most certainly won’t go to waste.”
Nate Hubbard can be reached at 228-6611 or .