Thanks to a group of concerned mothers, Oxford Village Police officers will be better protected and better prepared if they ever face an active shooter incident.

Oxford Mom Chatter, a Facebook group with more than 2,000 members, donated $2,650 to the department so it can purchase three tactical vests.

“It means a lot just knowing that we can make them safer,” said Oxford Township resident Tara Bean, one of the group’s administrators and a mother of three.

Oxford Mom Chatter is a secret Facebook page where local mothers help each other deal with a variety of issues by asking and answering questions, dispensing advice and sharing resources. As a secret group, no aspect of Oxford Mom Chatter is visible to the public. New members must be added or invited to join by current members. Only Mom Chatter members can see group posts.

Police Chief Mike Solwold was blown away by the group’s generosity.

“I don’t think I can say enough as far as how appreciative I am and how heartwarming it is to have the community backing you up,” he said.

Tactical vests serve as a piece of body armor that’s stronger than the bulletproof vests currently worn by village officers on a daily basis. According to Solwold, tactical vests will stop a rifle bullet whereas the standard vests will not because they’re designed to protect officers from handgun rounds.

In addition to offering a greater degree of personal protection, tactical vests have multiple pockets where officers can store equipment such as additional ammunition, extra pairs of handcuffs and tourniquets. Having these items packed together with the vest and ready to go at a moment’s notice can save officers critical time in an active shooter situation, the chief said.

The department currently has only one tactical vest. It was purchased using an $800 donation from Curtis Insurance Agency in downtown Oxford.

The Leader published an article about it in the March 20 edition. In it, Solwold mentioned that he wished to obtain three more vests, so each of the department’s four patrol vehicles could be outfitted with one.

Oxford Mom Chatter saw this and decided to solicit donations on the agency’s behalf.

“We just put it out there,” Bean said. “Within 72 hours, I had almost $2,000. Our goal was $1,600 . . . People just kept donating and donating.”

“No one hesitated,” she continued. “Some people donated a dollar. Some people donated $150. It just all added up and here we are.”

Buying protective gear for law enforcement officers is a cause near and dear to Bean’s heart. Her father, stepmother and uncle all retired from the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office and her brother is still active with the agency.

“I come from a long line of police officers,” she said. “When your dad walks out that door every day, you want to make sure he comes home to you.”

Solwold believes tactical vests are something every agency needs in this day and age because active shooter incidents can occur anywhere.

“Hopefully, (village officers) never have to (face) this situation, but we need to be prepared if we have to,” he said. “You can never be too prepared. I’d rather have more than what I need than (less).”

“I’m just trying to keep our guys safe,” Solwold added.

The chief said Oxford Mom Chatter’s willingness to step up to the plate and help his department is “what I love about this community.” Whenever a need is identified in Oxford, Solwold said “everyone pulls together” to “see what (they) can do to meet it.”

“We all have to work together for all of us to thrive,” he said.

According to Solwold, thanks to Oxford Mom Chatter’s donation, he’ll be able to purchase a fifth tactical vest with the $1,000 the Oxford Chamber of Commerce is planning to donate in June using proceeds from its annual golf luncheon at Boulder Pointe.

This vest will be kept in the unmarked vehicle he utilizes.

“If I’m out cruising and I have to run into a school, then I’ll be ready to go,” the chief said.

Solwold finds it “overwhelming” the way everyone has responded to his agency’s need for this lifesaving piece of equipment.

“We’ve got good people in this community, from the schools to the businesses to the residents,” he said. “It warms your heart. It gives you goosebumps.”

“I’m just glad that everyone donated and we made this happen,” Bean said.