Lafayette Police Department / Tippecanoe County Metro K9 Unit K9s Roy, Barry and Vasco to get body armor
Lafayette Police Department / West Lafayette Police Department / Tippecanoe County Corrections / Tippecanoe County Metro K9 Unit K9s Roy, Barry and Vasco will receive bullet and stab protective vests thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. K9 Barry’s vest is sponsored by Linda Weiss of Granger, IN and will be embroidered with the sentiment “In honor of all K9s for their sacrifice”. K9s Roy and Vasco’s vests were sponsored by an anonymous donor and will be embroidered with the sentiment “In memory of Skippy”. Delivery is expected within eight to ten weeks.
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. The non-profit was established in 2009 to assist law enforcement agencies with this potentially lifesaving body armor for their four-legged K9 officers. Since its inception, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provided over 1,600 protective vests, in 49 states, through private and corporate donations, at a cost of over 1.5 million dollars. All vests are custom made in the USA by Armor Express in Central Lake, MI.
The program is open to dogs actively employed in the U.S. with law enforcement or related agencies who are certified and at least 20 months of age. New K9 graduates, as well as K9s with expired vests, are eligible to participate.
The suggested donation to provide one protective vest for law enforcement K9 is $1,050.00. Each vest has a value between $1,795 – $2,234 and a five-year warranty, and an average weight of 4-5 lbs. There are an estimated 30,000 law enforcement K9s throughout the United States. For more information or to learn about volunteer opportunities, please call 508-824-6978. Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provides information, lists events, and accepts tax-deductible donations of any denomination at www.vik9s.org or mailed to P.O. Box 9 East Taunton, MA 02718.
The Lafayette Police Department / West Lafayette Police Department / Tippecanoe County Corrections / Tippecanoe County Metro K9’s are grateful for the efforts of Vested Interest in K9 Incorporated and donors efforts in providing protective gear to our K9 partners. See K9 Roy in the attached photo.