ARIETTA, Ga. (AP) — Police officers in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta now have kits with disposable medical containment jumpsuits and masks.

Marietta police Officer David Baldwin says the kits will be in every police cruiser. He says they will help protect officers from blood, saliva and airborne contaminants.

Baldwin said police officers are often the first ones to arrive at emergencies, and the kits are an attempt to protect them from coming into contact with body fluids such as blood or saliva.

WSB-TV reports (http://bit.ly/10owx7q) that planning for the kits had been in the works for a while, but recent stories about the Ebola outbreak helped spur completion of a policy outlining when and how officers should use the equipment.

Police say the body suits could provide protection from other diseases and not just Ebola.

___