In January, Columbus Division of Police Officer Dan Snyder asked us if we could help obtain door security bars for officers to keep at substations and hand out to people who had an immediate need to secure their homes. The idea came to him after he worked with a domestic violence victim whose former partner was removed from her home. But she was afraid he would return, so Officer Snyder tried to help her barricade the doors. He knew if he could give her these door security bars, she'd be much safer and have peace of mind.
Every officer we spoke to loved the idea, and some recommended we involve the detective bureaus as well--such as burglary and domestic violence. Officer Snyder was definitely onto something. We just needed a retail partner who could help us obtain hundreds of bars at a huge discount.
Community Liaison Officer Chris Riley recommended Lowe's Home Improvement, saying he'd worked with them many times. He said they were very community-minded, and he felt confident they would want to support this effort.
He was so right!
Doug and Chris from Lowe's at 2345 Silver Drive were extremely enthusiastic about this project and sold us the bars at cost. Not only that, but they donated 50 bars to the effort.
That is how today we ended up with 500 bars for Columbus police patrol officers and detectives to distribute to victims of crime. We'll be working with CPD to distribute the security bars to all 20 substations and any detective bureaus that request them. We'll also resupply them when they run out.
We are so excited about this Assignment. Thanks to Lowe's for making it a reality and to Officer Snyder for this wonderful idea.
By the way...Officer Snyder is taking three security bars to the domestic violence victim from January. She is still on his mind, and he wants her to know what she inspired.
