From the Wills Point Police Department:

The Wills Point Police Department K9, Avi, received a ballistic vests thanks to a non profit organization, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc.

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 lifesaving body armor for their four legged K9 Officers. Through private and corporate sponsorships, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provided over 930 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.

Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. was named as a charity partner in March of

2014 in a nationwide Groupon Campaign which raised over $335,000 in 19 days. The non profit will be providing over 350 law enforcement dogs nationwide with the protective body armor in memory of K9 Rocco of the Pittsburgh Police Department who sacrificed his life in the line of duty in January of 2014. All vests will be embroidered with the sentiment, “In Memory of K9 Rocco, Pittsburgh Police Department”.

For more information or to learn about volunteer opportunities, please call 508-824-6978. Tax deductible donations accepted via mail to: Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. P.O. Box 9 East Taunton, MA 02718 or via the

website: www.vik9s

Most police departments consider their K-9 police dogs real police officers. In Joplin, now the dogs are going to dress like it. ​The department this week will unveil new protective vests for its five K-9 officers. K9’s Gunner, Takoa, Belgon, Scout, and Pax are the designated recipients of the vest awards which were made possible through a donation by a local couple, who wish to remain anonymous. The couple stated that they care about animals and want the K9’s to have the best possible protection while on the job. They made this donation in the memory of K9 Cezar, who was killed in 2007 while pursuing a robbery suspect. The suspect turned on K9 Cezar and fired one round striking K9 Cezar in the head. K9 Cezar was transported to a local veterinarian, but later died. The vests are custom fit and made to order and will protect the K9s from bullet and stab wounds. The vets were also made possible by the efforts of Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. It’s an all volunteer charity located in East Taunton, MA. Its mission is to provide bullet and stab protective vests for law enforcement dogs 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 lifesaving body armor for their four legged K9 Officers. Through private and corporate sponsorships Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. has provided more than 400 law enforcement dogs with protective vests since its inception in August of 2009. Copyright Schurz Communications 2014 Source: http://www.kspr.com/news/local/k9-officers-outfitted-with-extra-protection/21051620_25348854

Three Brick Police K9s will receive new stab and bullet resistant vests, the department announced Wednesday.

K9s Max, Rigby and Duke who are all patrol and narcotics certified, have been selected by Vested Interest K-9 Inc. to receive the new vests.

The vests, which should be delivered in about 14 weeks, will protect the K-9’s against stabbings and bullets, said Sgt. Henry Drew.

Vested Interest is a charitable organization located in Massachusetts 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 and has a five year warranty, Drew said.

The nonprofit was established in 2009 to assist law enforcement agencies with this potentially lifesaving body armor for their four legged K9 officers. Through private and corporate sponsorships, Vested Interest has 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, which also creates the custom embroidery on the body armor.

Source: http://brick.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/brick-police-k9s-selected-to-receive-new-bulletproof-vests

MARTINS FERRY –

A legendary Pittsburgh Steeler is helping K-9 officers in the Ohio Valley.

On Wednesday, the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation sent a check for $9,500 to the Martins Ferry Police Department to help outfit their K9 with everything a crime-fighting dog needs.

It costs a lot to maintain Martins Ferry’s K9 officer “Echo” a Belgian Malinois, as Echo’s food alone costs over $1,000 a year.

Ordinarily, the grant is for a police department to get a dog, but this department already has one. Echo is especially valuable because he is cross-trained, and performs suspect apprehension, drug detection and tracking.

One of the first things the police department says they will do with the money is to insure Echo.

Source: http://www.wtrf.com/story/25148805/a-pittsburgh-steeler-helps-to-keep-local-k9s-safe-on-duty

ST. PAUL, Minn., March 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Law enforcement and military dogs (K9s) face unavoidable, life-threatening situations every day. While on the job, many experience heat related incidents such as heat stroke, often leading to death.  To prevent unnecessary K9 deaths, law enforcement units from Massachusetts, Arizona and Texas have invested in a wireless monitoring system that communicates the K9’s internal body temperature to their human officer partners in real-time.

Data Sciences International (DSI) has partnered with Blueforce Development Corporation (Blueforce) to introduce a revolutionary system designed to ensure occupational health and safety for law enforcement and military K9’s while working in dangerous environmental conditions.

“Our police dogs face challenging situations every day,” said Major Kenneth J. Ballinger, (ret), Plymouth County (MA) Sheriff’s Dept. “This technology will not only ensure our dogs stay healthy while in the field, but it will also help our officer’s keep their dogs in the best possible condition by continuously monitoring their overall health.”

With this system, the K9’s internal body temperature is continuously measured by a small implanted sensor that communicates to a receiver attached to the K9’s protective gear. The receiver relays the information to the K9 officer’s smart phone that will instantly alert the officer if the K9’s body temperature exceeds safe health limits.

“Our active involvement in public safety revealed that officers have serious K9 safety needs,” said Mike Helfrich, CEO, Blueforce. “We expect this solution to help save K9 lives by communicating real-time temperature.”

The system leverages DSI’s vast experience with manufacturing implantable telemetry. “Our company is built on a vision of providing the most humane methods for collecting physiologic information from animals,” said Bert Harman, CEO of DSI. “Improving the welfare of the working dogs that keep our communities safe is a natural extension for our business.”

About Blueforce Blueforce Development Corporation, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is focused on the development of software products that facilitate the formation of arbitrary and spontaneous confederations of people, sensors, and systems using handheld devices such as smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices. Our passion is in the delivery of network-centric computing for those requiring the highest degree of security, mobility, and interoperability. http://www.blueforcedev.com

About DSI DSI, located in St. Paul, Minnesota, is a pioneering biomedical technology company focused on pre-clinical systems physiology and pharmacology. The recognized global leader in physiologic monitoring of animals, DSI offers telemetry, instrumentation, software and services that help advance science. DSI serves many industries including: Pharmaceuticals, Academia, Contract Research Organizations, Biological and Chemical Defense, the Medical Device Industry, Government, and Biotechnology companies. Solutions are tailored specifically to meet the unique needs of their customers.  http://www.datasci.com

Source: http://www.officer.com/press_release/11362466/new-monitoring-technology-helps-save-k9s-lives

The Anne Arundel County Sheriff’s Office will be able to get ballistic vests for its K9 officers thanks to a nationwide Groupon event that raised more than $335,000. The Occasions campaign for Groupon Grassroots ran from mid-February to early March and allowed shoppers to buy a $10 online Groupon with all funds going toward providing bullet- and stab-protective vests for dogs. With all the money raised, a nonprofit called Vested Interest in K9s will be able to give 350 law enforcement dogs around the nation the protective vests, campaign organizers said. The project was organized in memory of K-9 Officer Rocco of the Pittsburgh Police Department, who was fatally stabbed in the line of duty in January. All of the vests will be embroidered with the words “In Memory of K9 Rocco, Pittsburgh Police Department.” Each vests costs $950 and has a five-year warranty. There are an estimated 30,000 police dogs throughout the United States. Vested Interest in K9s is still accepting donations, which can be given at vik9s.org or via mail at P.O. Box 9, East Taunton, Mass., 02718. Source: http://baltimore.icito.com/groupon-helps-k9-officers-get-bulletproof-vests/

Police and military dogs face many of the same dangers as their human partners. Many of these dogs, also known as K9s, fall victim to heat related conditions such as heat stroke, which could result in death.

To combat K9 casualties, Massachusetts, Arizona and Texas law enforcement units have invested in a wireless monitoring system to convey the dog’s internal body temperature to its human partner. Data Sciences International and Blueforce Development Corp. have partnered to develop the new system.

The system continuously measures the K9’s body temperature using a small surgically implanted sensor. The sensor then relays the temperature to a receiver attached to the dog’s protective gear, where it can be monitored by the human partners. The receiver relays the information to the K9 officer’s smartphone and will instantly alert him if the K9’s body temperature exceeds safe health limits.

“Our active involvement in public safety revealed that officers have serious K9 safety needs,” said Blueforce CEO Mike Helfrich. “We expect this solution to help save K9 lives by communicating real-time temperature.”

The telemetry is communicated to anyone subscribed to the animal through the Blueforce Tactical mobile application for Android or iOS, according to Blueforce blog post. Those who are subscribed receive a notification when the dog’s body temperature exceeds or falls below prescribed values.

Source: http://gcn.com/blogs/pulse/2014/03/k9-heat-monitor.aspx

BLACKSBURG, VA -The Blacksburg Police Department is adding a K9 to its force after a local woman was determined to make a difference when it came to fighting drugs.

Lorraine Hodge took part in the department’s Citizen’s Police Academy where participants learn about day to day operations of the PD. She says the K9s were brought in to do a demonstration on sniffing out drugs.

Hodge said she completed the academy wanting to help fight the drug problem but didn’t know exactly how she could help until she realized she could pay for another dog for the department. “Seeing the dogs and that’s what they do is track drugs and when you see the drugs are in almost every unit we talked about including good old traffic stops that might be for speeding, they need a dog,” she said.

Hodge’s donation allowed the department to purchase Mika, a one-year-old German Sheppard. She and her grandchildren came up with the name.

Mika has been training for nearly seven weeks. It can cost more than $10,000 to buy a narcotics dog and train it.

Blacksburg Town Council recognized Hodge for her donation at its meeting Tuesday night.

Source: http://www.wjtv.com/story/25076142/blacksburg-woman-donates-money-for-police-k9

More than 55 K9 teams from across the state came to Marshalltown to complete narcotic certification Wednesday.

The Marshalltown Police Department K9 unit hosted the United States Police Canine Associations (USPCA) annual Iowa Narcotic Dog Certification Trials at the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office and the National Guard Armory.

Sgt. Melinda Ruopp, of the Marshalltown Police Department, organized the event. She said the event tests a dog’s ability to locate and alert an illegal drug hidden in a car or room.

The exercise at the National Guard Armory required canines to locate marijuana and meth hidden in different vehicles. The officer circled every car with their K9, unaware of where the drugs were located. When the dog found the drugs it would paw, sit or signal the officer in some way.

“The police officers are relying on the dog’s nose to tell them when they find the stuff,” Ruopp said. “Basically you can put a nice juicy steak in the car and the dog is not going to respond to that because he knows that’s not my job, my job is to find drugs.”

The exercise at the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office was similar, but instead of cars, the K9s had to find drugs hiding in two of three different rooms without their handler.

Eric Siemens, of the Marshalltown Police Department, said Raji, who joined the MPD last June, is fully trained.

“Basically what we do now is we keep enhancing the training, making it a little more in-depth by adding things to it that challenge both the handler and dog,” Siemens said. “It makes it harder for both of us and we keep on adding to it to make him more complex and a better dog.”

Of the two activities, Siemens said he liked watching Raji search the rooms.

“It’s fun to let the dog naturally search in his own way of finding things,” Siemens said. “If the heater is on it will blow the scent to the other room, so the dog will search over there for a long time then he’ll work it back to wherever the odor is. So it was really cool to watch that.”

In order for the team to achieve certification, Ruopp said the team must score 70 percent or find three of the four drugs hidden.

Source: http://www.timesrepublican.com/page/content.detail/id/569723/K9s-complete-certification-in-Marshalltown.html?nav=5005