Ritchie Secures $33,000 in Funding to Enhance Public Safety

State Senator Patty Ritchie is announcing she has secured $33,000 in special funding that will improve public safety throughout Jefferson County.

This funding will help the Jefferson County Drug Task Force upgrade its vehicle fleet. When out doing their very important—and all-to-often dangerous—jobs, the task force needs dependable equipment. With many of its vehicles well over 100,000 miles and some over 200,000, the reliability and amount of resources needed to keep them on the road has become problematic. There are also instances where subjects of investigations have begun to recognize vehicles that belong to task force members, which puts them at further risk.

With this funding, the Jefferson County Drug Task Force will be better prepared and protected; as will the Theresa Fire Department, which will use a portion of the funds to purchase equipment that will to help its firefighters better safeguard themselves and the public.  

“Members of our law enforcement agencies and fire departments put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe,” said Senator Patty Ritchie. “As a result, it’s critical that they have the resources they need to respond safely and efficiently. It is my hope that this funding will help them create a safer Jefferson County for everyone.”

“In order to protect themselves and the Jefferson County Community, our task force members need proper, reliable equipment when responding to calls,” said Jefferson County District Attorney Kristyna Mills. “On behalf of the entire Jefferson County Drug Task Force, I would like to thank Senator Ritchie for helping our team stay safe on the job.”

“It is so important for our department to respond quickly to emergency calls.  Every second makes a difference,” said Mark Savage, Fire Chief of the Theresa Fire Department, Inc. “Thank you to Senator Ritchie for this funding. New equipment will cut into those response times, keep our firefighters safe and make sure we’re ready when our community needs us most.”

Senator Ritchie has secured the following funding for the agencies:

Jefferson County Drug Task Force--$27,000

Theresa Fire Department, Inc.--$6,000