A personal message from your Sheriff

I had knee problems.
I found the answer.

Getting in and out of a patrol car, shift after shift, takes a toll on your knees. I know — I lived it. Then I found something that changed that for me. Two years later I am still using it every day, and I want every one of you to have the same opportunity.

— Sheriff Mark Garber · Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office

Claim Your Lafayette Parish Discount → Read my full message →

Duty · Honor · Service

From Sheriff Mark Garber

Sheriff Mark J. Garber
Lafayette Parish
Sheriff's Office

Taking care of your health and well-being is a priority for me — and today I want to share something I have experienced personally.

I had knee problems. Anyone who has spent years getting in and out of a patrol car knows what I am talking about. It accumulates. Shift after shift, the same motion, the same impact — and at some point your knees start telling you about it.

I came across Protalus Landing Gear and I decided to try it. It sits inside your footwear — it looks like an insole but it is not. It is a geometric adapter that guides your foot through its natural movement as if the ground beneath it were the uneven terrain your feet were built for. Not a miracle. A mathematical logic. Your feet already know what to do — this gives them back the conditions to do it.

I have been wearing them every day for two years. My knees are better. That is my experience — and I believe many of you will have the same one, particularly those of you dealing with the daily wear that comes with this job.

I want to be clear: I am not asking you to take my word for it. Over two million people have tried this product. 95 out of 100 keep it — because their own body told them it was working. Yours will tell you too. And if it tells you no, you have 90 days to ship the product back and receive a full refund. No questions asked. Not a dollar lost.

I have secured Protalus's corporate pricing for this department. You can use your HSA and FSA accounts — just use the card at checkout the same way you would use any credit card. No forms. And the pricing extends to your family. If you want to buy pairs for your spouse, your parents, your friends — you are more than welcome to. There is no limit on how many pairs you purchase. You just need to make the purchase yourself.

Please give this a genuine try — first for your own health and the longevity of your body. But also because I believe healthier deputies mean fewer injuries, lower healthcare costs for this department, and a team that can serve this community at the highest standard.

Protalus has a great deal of information on their website if you want to understand the science behind it. I am not asking you to study it. I am simply telling you that this technology exists, that it is backed by independent clinical data, that it has served millions of people — and that it helped me. I put my name on it because two years of wearing it every day earns that.

Take care of yourselves out there — on and off duty.

Sheriff Mark J. Garber
Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office

The kinetic chain

Every move you make
starts from the ground up.

Every step. Every shift. Every time you get in and out of a patrol car. All of it originates from ground reaction force transmitted through the same chain. When the base of that chain is compromised — which it is on flat ground — every link above it works harder than it should to compensate. Thousands of times a day.

Ground

→

Heel axis

→

Knee

→

Hip

→

Core

→

Spine

→

Output

Off-axis loading at the base leaks energy before it reaches every link above — including the knee.

2–3%

Less energy returned per step on flat ground. Multiply that by 8,000 steps a shift and your body is working measurably harder just to move — every single day.

35–50%

Of your mechanical energy should come from elastic return. The spring your foot was built with. Flat ground prevents it from firing — so your muscles and joints pay the difference.

8,000

Steps per shift on a surface your foot was never designed for. Every one of them running the kinetic chain without its primary control mechanism engaged.

What to expect

Your body will tell you
within the first week.

95 out of 100 customers keep Landing Gear. Not because of marketing. Because their own body gave them the answer. Give it a genuine try — especially under the conditions this job puts you in.

Days 1–3

It feels different.

Landing Gear is not cushioning. You will feel your heel positioned differently — your foot is starting to move on the axis it was built for. That is supposed to feel new.

Do not judge it in the first 48 hours. Wear it for a full shift. Your body needs a few days of normal movement to recalibrate — then it will tell you clearly.

Days 3–7

The body decides.

By day three most people have their answer. The accumulated fatigue that builds across a long shift — in your knees, hips, lower back — typically changes character. Your own mechanics start working for you instead of against you.

95 out of 100 keep them at this point. The other 5 get every cent back.

In and out of the car

Where it counts most.

Getting in and out of a patrol car is one of the highest-repetition joint stresses in this job. The impact is not dramatic — it is cumulative. Deputies consistently report the most noticeable change in exactly this motion and in how their knees feel at the end of a long shift.

Give it a few regular days before your biggest day. Then notice.

The Lafayette Parish offer

Two pairs.
One transition.
$70 for both.

Sheriff Garber has secured Protalus's corporate pricing for Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office. The recommended protocol is two pairs — start with the T-100 for the first two weeks as your body adjusts, then move to the M-100 for the full advantage on every shift.

Step 1 · Weeks 1–2

T-100

Start here. Same geometry as the M-100 with a standard sole. Your joints begin moving on the correct axis. Most people feel something different from the first shift.

→

Step 2 · Week 3 onward

M-100

Full geometry. Maximum heel cup walls. Polyurethane sole built for extended patrol and the physical demands of this job. This is where the full benefit lands.

^$70_{+ tax}

T-100 + M-100 — both pairs included.

Pricing extends to your family — spouse, parents, children, friends.

No limit on how many pairs you buy. Purchase them yourself and share them as you choose.

Regular retail: $64.95 per pair. Your Lafayette Parish price covers both.

How to claim your discount

Your discount is verified through VerifyPass. Click the button — VerifyPass confirms your eligibility and emails you a discount code within seconds. Apply that code at checkout on protalus.com.

Use your HSA or FSA card at checkout the same way you would use any credit card. No forms. No reimbursement. Pre-tax dollars, standard checkout process.

Verify Through VerifyPass → Discount code sent by email · Apply at checkout on protalus.com

Using your benefits

HSA eligible

Pay with your HSA card at checkout — processes like any credit card. No forms, no reimbursement process. Pre-tax dollars, standard checkout.

FSA eligible

Your FSA card works the same way. Use it directly at checkout on protalus.com. Nothing extra required on your end.

Day
Guarantee

Send them back. Full refund. No questions.

In the unlikely event Landing Gear is not right for you — ship the product back within 90 days and receive a complete refund. No matter how used they are. No questions asked.

Not a dollar lost. The guarantee exists because 95 out of 100 people keep them. Your body makes the decision.

Verify & Claim Your Lafayette Parish Discount →

Want to be part of something bigger?

Sheriff Garber is working with Protalus and LSU Kinesiology to build outcome data that could make Landing Gear part of the official department wellness program — and ultimately paid-for gear. If you want to be part of that study group, contact Blake.

Contact Blake to Join the Study Group →