Schiff displays a visor equipped with Armor Dynamic's composite plastic body armor

KINGSTON – Almost four years ago, Cyrus Barnes, then a Sullivan County Sheriff’s deputy, responded to a domestic dispute in Narrowsburg, and he was greeted with rifle shot through the driver-side door, which shattered a seat control.

He was unharmed.

Barnes was on-hand Thursday in Kingston as Sullivan County Sheriff Michael Schiff kicked off a pilot program in which Armory Dynamics will provide plastic composite armor panels for a pair of the county’s patrol cars.

“This is for the same reason we give body armor to our deputies,” said Schiff.

“In today’s day and age, handguns, rifles and gangs in inner cities are a reality. And it is our responsibility, that if we send someone out, we have to give them the best protection we can give them. They have families, and they all deserve to go home at night.”

The panels are made from sheets of recycled plastic, about three-eighths of an inch thick, and can be inserted into a door’s innards behind metal exterior. In addition to the door panels, visors will be equipped with the same materials, so deputies can guard against shoots fired from the front through the windshield or above the door panels.

Armor Dynamics was started five years ago to provide lightweight body armor for overseas troops, and is now helping law enforcement agencies like Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office.

“Basically the company evolved into a law enforcement component,” said Richard Mulvaney, executive vice president for Armor Dynamics and retired New York City police lieutenant. “The (company) were looking into the field because they knew the technology was viable (for law enforcement).”