MADISON – Stacie Walls said when her two young sons, Patrick Bryant and Tyler Walls, heard about two West Virginia policemen being killed in the line of duty last year they told her they wanted to do something to try to help.

“They were deeply moved by the story and came up with the idea of raising money to help a policeman get a bullet-proof vest to protect them,” Stacie Walls said.

Patrick has said that one day he wants to become a policeman.

“My brother and I just wanted to help a policeman, so they wouldn’t get hurt or killed like the policemen I saw on the news last years,” said Patrick.

“I wanted to help to,” Tyler added. “So they can purchase a bullet proof vest and maybe save a police officer’s life.”

The boys came up with a fundraising effort they called “Quarters for Cops.”

The two boys set up donation buckets collected quarters from students, teachers and staff that donated at Madison Elementary School, Jeffrey-Spencer Elementary School and Scott High School. They collected $281.

On Monday, Feb. 4, the boys and their family came to the new Boone County Sheriff’s Offices at the new judicial annex behind the Boone County Courthouse in Madison to give the money to new Boone County Sheriff Randall White.

“That’s a lot of quarters,” said Sheriff White.

White said the money would be used to help purchase a bullet-proof vest for a deputy.

The West Virginia Sheriffs’ Association has said it will introduce a law during the upcoming legislative session that would require sheriff's departments to provide bullet-proof vests for their deputies. Currently, it is not a requirement and funding sources for vests are hard to come by, according to the sheriff.

“That’s what makes what these boys did for us so special,” White said. “There are no words to explain how good it makes us feel when little fellas like this care for us.”

The sheriff designated the two boys “Junior Deputies.”

The boys challenged others to help raise money to help law enforcement officers in their communities.