New vests for sheriff’s dept

Kinder Morgan donated $10,000 to the Susquehanna County Sheriff’s Office for the purchase of new bullet-proof vests. STAFF PHOTO/STACI WILSON

Susquehanna County Sheriff’s Deputies are getting new bullet-proof vests, thanks to a $10,000 donation from Kinder Morgan to support the department’s public safety efforts.
In a check presentation held Thursday, July 27, Allen Fore Vice President of Public Affairs for Kinder Morgan presented Sheriff Lance Benedict with the check.
“Over 3,000 officers’ lives have been saved due to wearing body armor,” Benedict said. “I’m honored that Kinder Morgan has helped our office and it couldn’t have come at a better time, as with many things in our daily life, body armor also has a shelf life.
Benedict explained the vests have a five-year shelf life, and all of the ones currently used in his department are set to expire at the end of the year. “The timing couldn’t be better,” he said.
Fore said, “Kinder Morgan likes to support public safety, and bullet proof vests are often in need,”
The contribution is enough to replace all nine vests for the deputies.
Benedict said that when he first started, the department had only two vests which were shared among all the deputies.
Kinder Morgan is currently working on the Triad Expansion Project of about seven miles in the Lenox and Clifford areas.
Part of the Tennessee Gas Pipeline, the Triad Expansion loop is adjacent to the existing pipeline. Construction is expected to be completed in September.
The project will increase natural gas delivery capacity by about 180,000 dekatherms per day, and will deliver it to the Lackawanna Energy Center in Lackawanna County.
The project is estimated to cost about $60 million and expected to generate about 100 temporary construction jobs at its peak.