The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
4-legged cops getting lifesaving body armor
Rocky Hill, Old Saybrook businesses donate canine ballistic vests
MIDDLETOWN — State and local police canine officers will soon outfit their dogs with ballistic vests paid for by area businesses from the Massachusetts-based Vested Interest in K9s.
Middletown police canine Diezel and Connecticut State Police dog Tazz will receive bullet- and stab-protective vests courtesy of a charitable donation from the nonprofit that provides assistance to law enforcement dogs throughout the country, according to a news release. Delivery is expected within eight to 10 weeks.
“K-9 Diezel and I spend more time together than any member of my family, and I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to him.”
Middletown canine handler Aura Smith
Diezel’s vest, sponsored by Sonitrol New England of Rocky Hill, will be embroidered with the sentiment “This gift of protection provided by Sonitrol New England.”
“As part of my daily uniform, I wear a ballistic vest to keep myself safe so I can go home to my family every night,” Middletown canine handler Aura Smith said in a prepared statement.
“It only makes sense that my K-9 partner be afforded the same level of protection. K-9 Diezel and I spend more time together than any member of my family, and I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to him.”
Tazz’s vest is sponsored by a fundraiser hosted by Dtails Dog Day School & Training Center of Old Saybrook. It will bear the words “Gifted by the Friends of DTails.”
Tazz is assigned to Trooper First Class Matthew Weber, who works for the Middletown-headquartered state police, for three years. The police dog is a 4-year-old German shepherd trained in all aspects of patrol, including tracking, evidence recovery, handler protection, criminal apprehension and obedience, the release said.
The donation to provide one protective vest for a law enforcement canine is $950. Each vest has a value between $1,744 and $2,283 and a five-year warranty, and an average weight of 4 to 5 pounds, according to the agency.
Vested Interest in K9s was established in 2009 to assist law enforcement agencies with potentially lifesaving body armor for their four-legged K-9 officers. Since then, it has provided over 2,800 protective vests in 50 states through private and corporate donations at a cost of over $2.4 million, according to the company.
The program is open to dogs actively employed in the United States with law enforcement or related agencies who are certified and at least 20 months of age. New canine graduates, as well as dogs with expired vests, are eligible to participate.
There are an estimated 30,000 law enforcement dogs throughout the country.
For information, call 508-824-6978 or visit vik9s.org.