BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Telegraph Editor
STARKE — More than 5,000 bulletproof vests are headed to war-torn Ukraine, and Starke police had a hand in making that happen.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has resulted in thousands of civilian deaths, 4.8 million refugees fleeing the country and 7.1 million internally displaced, according to the United Nations.
The world has been inspired by Ukrainians who are fighting for their country and heartbroken by the millions who have been left in need.
Aid has poured into the country to provide relief, support and, in the case of this equipment, save lives.
Ukraine and Bradford County are a world apart but have something in common, and that is former resident Dwight Hewett, who grew up here and spent nearly a decade living in Ukraine. Today, he’s the president and CEO of The Doran Jason Group, a commercial and industrial real estate brokerage firm in South Florida.
“I love the culture, the people,” Hewett said of his nearly 30-year relationship with the country. “And I think we all love the fighting spirit. When you look at these news reports and you see they’re not going to give up come hell or high water, it’s inspiring.”
Many have given funding to relief organizations, but Hewett wanted to do more. With around 150 Ukrainian staff members working for him in the security industry, he has received reports of citizens fighting with T-shirts and Reeboks as gear.
Ukraine Congress Committee of America, an organization Hewett represents, is shipping to the front lines the 5,000 ballistic vests donated by the Miami-Dade Police Department and additional equipment contributions from several municipalities.
Hewett was here June 10 to receive the vest and helmet donations from the Starke Police Department and ship them to Miami. Each vest could represent a life saved, he said.
According to Police Chief Jeff Johnson, the vests have an expiration date for police officers. Because of the constant wear, vests must be replaced after five years for officer safety. In truth, there is still lifesaving protection in the hand-me-downs, and were they not being sent to the Ukraine, the police department would have no choice but to destroy them.
Also, most of the replacement cost is covered by a recurring grant, Johnson said, so it doesn’t represent a major cost to the city.
Hewett has been collecting vests, helmets, gas masks and other equipment, but the donations required catching departments between the time the equipment was decommissioned and then destroyed. Friend and former Key Biscayne Police Chief Charles Press helped him get started in Miami-Dade where they were lucky to find Director George Perez had a trailer full of vests they could donate.
“I’m just glad we could do something,” Johnson said. He gave credit to Assistant Chief Barry Warren, Lt. Michael Rooney, Capt. James Molina and Maj. John Riles for putting everything together, and they said they would work with Hewett to reach out to other agencies in North Florida.
The donations will get to Ukraine via Poland. Once shipped there, the equipment will be taken by truck to the Ukrainian border where others will be ready to receive.
Hewett told Johnson the donations were headed for the national police and territorial defense teams in Ukraine and given that the support is coming from fellow police, it is a huge morale booster for those fighting.
Since 1940, Ukrainian Americans have supported Ukraine through Ukraine Congress Committee of America. Find out more about UCCA at UCCA.org.
