BATTLE CREEK, Mich. –
North Carolina’s Martin County Sheriff’s Office has secured various officer-protecting and lifesaving items through the Defense Logistics Agency and its Law Enforcement Support Office during the past several years and recently reached out with kudos for the assistance of Camp Lejeune-based reverse logisticians.
Major Ryan Smith screens property for the eastern North Carolina county and he said law enforcement there feels very fortunate to have access to DLA’s free surplus military equipment stocks that help officers respond to disasters and maintain overall preparedness levels.
“I have been screening property for my agency for many years now,” Smith wrote. “I have been to several DLA locations during that time. I can tell you that DLA LeJeune is top notch. [Property Reutilization Specialists] Jess Horvath and Jennifer Wisniewski are two of the very best I have ever worked with. Jess is super efficient and we really get our property loaded quickly and securely. Jess has been great at getting my requests processed and returning that paperwork to me. Jennifer is wonderful to work with and is very accommodating. Jennifer helps pick some of the best property from the lot to make sure we get good condition equipment. Jennifer also has been terrific interacting with us.”
In March, nearby Greenville’s WITN news station covered Martin County’s creation of “trauma bags,” for its deputies to carry in their patrol vehicles, many of which included Automated External Defibrillators the sheriff’s office received for free from the DLA Disposition Services site at nearby Camp Lejeune.
“I had seen defibrillators while screening,” Smith wrote. “I was at Lejeune picking up property and asked Jennifer if she could get me pictures. I gave her the [Disposal Turn-In Document] number and by the time I made it home, she had sent me the photos. By Jennifer doing this, I was able to secure those defibrillators – which happened to be identical to those I had previously obtained through a grant. Now, instead of 10 of our deputies having those in their car, we now have 24.”
Smith said that despite operating in a rural county with limited funds, the sheriff’s office considers itself “well-equipped” thanks to military surplus and DLA assistance. He shared an additional anecdote that illustrates the scope and potential impact used and surplus equipment can have on communities.
“I was recently approached by a man in a restaurant,” Smith wrote. “He walked up to me with his wife beside him. He said, ‘You probably don't remember me,’ which I did not. Then he said, ‘you and your deputies saved us.’ He then went on to tell me that he remembered me driving a surplus FMTV 5-ton truck and responding to his home. He started to cry, which got to me. He said, ‘you are the guys that came and got us out after the tornado.’ He was a survivor from a F3 tornado in a neighboring county during a hurricane. Myself, along with two deputies responded to that location during the storm because our neighboring county had no way to reach the tornado-hit area. We were able to get through on the 5-ton truck and HMMWV's. We loaded out about 30 people, transferring injured people to waiting ambulances about two miles away, then taking the displaced to a shelter, and then later returning to recover the deceased. This is the very reason we continue to participate in this program and hope to continue for many years to come.”
During that response effort in 2020, Smith said that after his team’s initial response, the National Guard was dispatched to support the secondary response and his office was able to provide portable generator units procured through DLA for powering air conditioning units for task force members staged for additional highwater rescues. The surplus units were also used for getting area substations back online, for keeping local radio systems operating, and for keeping vital Martin County equipment functioning.