ODESSA, TX — A local church has given $145,000 to the Odessa Police Department for the money to distributed among “underpaid” officers, a church leader said.

The Rev. Don Caywood of Odessa Christian Faith Center handed the money over to police Chief Chris Pipes at a Sunday service. The department will distribute $1,000 checks to 145 employees.

“It became obvious our men and women in blue are underpaid,” Caywood told the congregation during the service.

The donation also reflected the community’s respect for police in the aftermath of the September deaths of three officers who were gunned down in the line of duty.

“We want their morale to soar,” Caywood said in a story for Monday editions of the Odessa American.

Pipes said he was amazed by the gift.

“The magnitude of thank you equal to the magnitude of the gift … I don’t have those words,” Pipes said.