Edinburgh’s police K-9s now have extra protection with a donation of bullet and stab-protective vests.
Vested Interest in K9s, a non-profit organization based in East Taunton, Massachusetts, donated body armor to Edinburgh Police for Skye and Kira, the department’s two police dogs. The vests are valued between $1,744 and $2,283, weigh between four and five pounds and come with a five-year warranty, according to an Edinburgh Police Department Facebook post.
The equipment is vital for the Edinburgh Police Department, which restarted its K-9 program last year, said Doyne Little, police chief.
“It helps protect our dogs,” Little said. “Our investment in K-9s is no different than a police officer. We live in a society where we need these vests for protection. By (Vested Interest) providing vests, our dogs are now protected.”
Skye’s vest will include the words “in memory of Ben Bertram” in reference to an Edinburgh officer killed in the line of duty in 2018, while Kira’s vest will say “in memory of K-9 Diesel, Bartholomew Cty. IN, EOW 11-14-20,” according to the post.
Using money from private and corporate donations, Vested Interest has donated more than 4,970 bulletproof vests, at a combined value of $6.9 million, to police departments in all 50 states since the organization’s inception in 2009, the post said.
