The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office K9 Steel has received a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. K9 Steel’s vest is embroidered with the sentiment “In memory of K9 Ty, California City Police Department”.

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 2,600 protective vests, in 50 states, through private and corporate donations, at a cost of over 2.1 million dollars.

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 donation to provide one protective vest for a 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 is 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.

K9 Steel is a two-year-old German Shepherd. K9 Steel has been with the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office since September of 2016. The Stafford Sheriff’s Office was awarded K9 Steel through a grant funded by the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation. K9 Steel and his partner Deputy First Class B.U. Demirci graduated from K9 School in November of 2016. Since then K9 Steel has tracked down several violent suspects to include a man who committed an armed robbery at a local convenience store. K9 Steel is one of four canines that make up the Sheriff’s Office K9 Unit. K9 Steel is cross-trained for both explosives detection as well as patrol certified. The other K9 units have been previously outfitted with protective vests. “The Stafford Sheriff’s Office is profoundly grateful to Vested Interest in K9s, Inc for their generous donation,” said Sheriff D.P. Decatur. “Canines are an integral part of law enforcement and as such they deserve the same protections we afford to any other sworn member of our agency.”