North Texas law enforcement agents receive high-quality protective vests from Scheels
THE COLONY (CBSNewsTexas.com) — More than a dozen North Texas law enforcement agents received potentially life-saving body armor Wednesday, thanks to a massive sporting goods store in The Colony.
Scheels, which opened at Grandscape in 2020, has partnered with the nonprofit Shield616 to give high-quality protective vests to 14 Texas game wardens working in counties across the metroplex.
"Yes, we're on the lakes and out in the field checking hunters, but we're doing so much other traditional law enforcement activities as well, and all the dangers that come with it are ever present," said Captain Game Warden Cliff Swofford with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.
That includes maintaining a constant presence on the border and responding to active shooters.
"When lives are actively being taken, our law enforcement is now expected to go in and start to address that threat," said Jake Skifstad, founder and president of Shield616. "So that might be the first officer, the first game warden, the first sheriff's deputy, the first trooper. Whoever is there first, they're trained to go in there and engage with that."
Skifstad knows firsthand what it's like to respond to worst-case scenarios from his time as a police officer and SWAT team member in Colorado.
Standard issue body armor is designed to stop handgun-caliber bullets, not rifle threats.
"It's a huge burden on these agencies to try to get that enhanced level of protection for a whole department," Skifstad said. "Not just a SWAT team—the whole department. It's very, very expensive."
The all-day, rifle-rated vests can run anywhere from $2,100 to $2,400 each. Shield616 raises the money to donate them to departments across the country.
"It's my hope that them knowing they've got the best protection on, that they're going to choose to be courageous to go out there and protect their community members," said Skifstad.
The body armor also comes with a powerful message of support.
"It can be a thankless job," Wofford said. "And we accept that, that's OK. But that's why it means so much to us when somebody does step up and do something like this for our guys."
Scheels has 32 stores in 14 different states. Multiple locations have worked with Shield616 to donate the rifle-rated vests to local departments. The company plans to continue partnering with the nonprofit in the future.