By Mike Donoghue, Vermont News First

An earlier version of this story was published in the Caledonian-Record.

The St. Johnsbury community, which is still trying to heal after the serious wounding of one of its beloved veteran police officers, is getting a special Christmas present this week.

Multiple Vermont municipal police departments, county sheriffs, and the Department of Motor Vehicles have agreed to send law enforcement personnel to Caledonia County this week to cover many of the work shifts for beleaguered St. Johnsbury officers.

Among them are the Windsor and Springfield Police Departments and the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department. The three agencies have stepped up to provide coverage on Christmas Day to allow some St. Johnsbury officers to spend the holiday with their families at home.

Windsor Police Chief Jennifer Frank, after conferring with St. Johnsbury Police Chief Joel Pierce, put out the call to her colleagues through the Vermont Association of Chiefs of Police. Her email to find two police officers to cover each work shift was sent statewide about 9 p.m. Dec. 17. The response was swift, she said.

Frank said the substitute shifts began Sunday and will run through Saturday night, Dec. 28. The substitute officers come from as far away as Brattleboro and Essex. Others involved include Montpelier and Royalton Police. The work of the substitute officers is at no cost to St. Johnsbury taxpayers, Frank said.

Pierce said it is an incredible feeling of support from other departments.

“They have been a HUGE asset, and they were huge last week,” said Pierce, whose department is understaffed.

“It has been overwhelmingly humbling,” the former Barre City police detective said.

He said a few shifts will still be covered this week by St. Johnsbury officers. The chief was on the job Sunday night when reached for a comment.

“We are still here,” Pierce said.

He said he will need to reevaluate the staffing again next week.

Chief Frank said Vermont police pull together for a successful conclusion in major cases.

“It is one of the things I love about Vermont law enforcement,” she said.

Frank said most Vermont police agencies are short-staffed, but they were willing to step up.

“St. J needs some wellness time. They have struggled with their emotions,” she said.

Frank said that St. Johnsbury has agreed to provide a police cruiser, a two-way radio, and a fuel card for each incoming officer. Substitute officers can use their hometown cruisers if they receive permission from the agency head.

St. Johnsbury Police Capt. D. Jason Gray responded to a domestic assault complaint at a second-floor apartment at 261 Portland St. about 4:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13. Gray had climbed the stairs and been there about five seconds when he was struck by two shotgun blasts, according to court records citing police videos.

Gray, who managed to fire one return shot, was rushed to a local hospital and later airlifted in serious condition to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H.

The blasts struck Gray’s bulletproof vest, but some of the birdshot sprayed to his throat, neck area and arm, officials said. He also suffered a collapsed lung.

Gray, whose vision was impacted, was discharged five days later and received a hero’s escort home with blue lights and sirens.

Gray is still on the mend at home.

“He is not recovered,” Pierce said.  The timetable is unknown.

The gunman was caught about 2 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 15, at an apartment house next door to the shooting. A tipster flagged down a police officer after leaving the first-floor apartment and reported the gunman was hiding inside with a half dozen friends, court records show.

The suspect, Scott Mason, 38, of St. Johnsbury, a six-time convicted felon, surrendered when ordered out of the residence, state police said.  Mason has pleaded not guilty to a variety of charges, including attempted first-degree murder, which carries a possible life sentence.

Now, St. Johnsbury is trying to ensure its community has the needed police coverage.

Norwich Police Chief Matt Romei said he has agreed to work two shifts himself.

He said it is only natural for Vermonters to pitch in to help those in need, even more so when it comes to law enforcement families.

“We take care of each other in Vermont, and this is the law enforcement community, and we take care of them,” Romei said.

He noted that the special details would also allow police to work with officers from other parts of the state with whom they normally might not mix. He said he has a shift planned with a Newport City Police officer.

Windsor County Sheriff Ryan Palmer said he dispatched five deputies to St. Johnsbury the day after the shooting and tried to keep one on each shift until the gunman was arrested.

“We have been supporting them since it happened,” Palmer said.

He said he signed up for a couple of shifts this week.

Frank said she is proud to see so many police officers step up even when they might be trying to juggle their own holiday commitments.

“It is a testament to Vermont law enforcement,” she said.