The city of Kingston held the monthly council meeting on January 12, 2021 and addressed several topics — one of them being new vests and uniforms for Kingston’s peace officers.
For the agenda item, Kingston Chief of Police Chris Watson petitioned the council for new uniforms and new vests. New vests are needed because the old ones just are not up to code.
The vests being discussed are a new type and can be worn under the shirt, while the old ones typically had to be worn over the uniform shirt. These new vests are capable of being stab-proof as well as having the stopping power for a .45.
Watson said obtaining new vests for his officers is important for safety.
“Since the new vests are outdated, we must have new vests for our officers,” Watson said. “We need to be getting to ourselves, we need to take care of our own department. We got an officer that had to use a carrier, we had to use a different type of vest that’s a t-shirt vest that you just put underyourt-shirt that’s 12 by 14 plate that’s inside a carrier vest because we didn’t have one small enough to fit her.”
Watson said price is also a deciding factor. “I need the most coverage I can [get] for the right price,” he said.
The new vests will be neater and easier for the officers, since they can be worn under the officer’s uniform shirts.
Another agenda item discussed by the council was the possibility of new uniforms. Watson noted that getting new uniforms are essential since the ones worn today are old and getting worn out. This will also make Kingston PD stand out, as it will let everyone see that it is Kingston — these new uniforms will look different than Marshall County Sheriffs Office and Madill Police Department.
Watson referred to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol’s uniforms, and the professionalism they induce.
“There’s a reason the highway patrol wears the uniforms they do,” he said.
It seems Kingston is getting a little TLC and that never hurt anyone. New speed limit signs for the school zones were also discussed at the meeting. The signs are needed since the flashers on the current ones no longer seem to work properly.
Kingston will also be voting for two new council members next month, as two of the current members terms are up. Councilmembers Gary Cluck and Michelle Bearden’s terms are ending. The vote for replacements will be in March.
After the meeting, Kingston received a new officer. One of the agenda items was to discuss and take action on possibly hiring a new Kingston Officer. Jerry Thies was added to Kingston’s hard-working men in blue.