The Manchester Township Police is proud to announce that Department K9, Storm, has been awarded a ballistic vest thanks to the non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. The vest donation was provided by an anonymous sponsor. Storm’s vest will be embroidered with the sentiment “In memory of Rocco Pittsburgh Bureau of Police”.
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. has provided over 1,546 protective vests, in 49 states, through private and corporate donations, at a cost of over 1.4 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 19 months of age. New K9 graduates, as well as K9’s with expired vests, are eligible to participate.
The suggested donation to provide one protective vest for law enforcement K9 is $1050.00. Each vest has a value of between $1,795 – $2,234, comes with a five-year warranty, and has an average weight of 4-5 lbs. There is an estimated 30,000 law enforcement K9’s 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 donations can be mailed to P.O. Box 9, East Taunton, MA 02718.