The Marshall County Police Department’s Canine team took delivery of a new bulletproof vest this week. Vested Interest in K9’s Inc. is a nationwide non-profit group designed to provide working dogs with the appropriate equipment to protect them while they are working on the streets.
The “occasions” campaign ran from February 15-March 5 and raised over $335,000 to help “vest” canine’s all over the country. K9 teams applied for the grant and Marshall County’s K9 Arras was selected as one of 350 recipients. Each vest bears a tag in memory of K9 Rocco of the Pittsburgh Police Department who sacrificed his life in the line of duty in January of 2014.
Arras became a member of the Marshall County Police Dept. in September of 2012 and has been working the streets ever since. He has been involved in nearly 200 criminal narcotics arrests as well as cash seizures. Arras is a 4 year old Belgian Malinois imported from Holland and trained and certified through Vohne Liche Kennels in Denver, Indiana and the American Working Dog Association.
Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c (3) charity located in East Taunton, MA. Whose mission is to provide bullet and stab protective vests and other assistance to dogs of law enforcement and related agencies throughout the United States. Each vest costs $950.00 and has a 5 year warranty. The nonprofit was established in 2009 to assist law enforcement agencies with this potentially life-saving body armor for their four legged K9 Officers. Through private and corporate sponsorships, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provided 585 law enforcement dogs in 39 states with protective vests since 2009.
The organization orders the U.S. made vests exclusively from distributor Regency Police Supply in Hyannis, MA. Who also does the custom embroidery on the body armor.
New K9 graduates as well as K9’s with expired vests are eligible to participate. The program is open to law enforcement dogs who are US employed, certified and at least 19 months of age.
For more information or to learn about volunteer opportunities, please call 508-824-6978. Tax deductible donations and event listings are via the website: www.vik9s.org.
