Alpharetta Police K9 Gets New Protective Vest

ALPHARETTA, GA -- An Alpharetta police K9 will receive a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a donation from a nonprofit organization based in New England.

Vested Interest in K9s will provide the vest for K9 Karlo, an employee with the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety.

Karlo's vest is sponsored by a fundraiser hosted by Alpharetta resident Christy Brewer, and will be embroidered with the phrase, "In loving memory of Odin Clark."

Delivery is expected within eight to 10 weeks, the agency said on its Facebook page.

Based in East Taunton, Massachusetts, Vested Interest seeks to provide protective vests and other tools needed for dogs in law enforcement to safely perform their duties. The nonprofit was established in 2009 to assist law enforcement agencies with this potentially lifesaving body armor for their four-legged K9 officers.

Since its inception, the organization provided over 2,200 protective vests in 50 states through private and corporate donations, at a cost exceeding $1.9 million. All vests are custom made in the USA by Armor Express in Central Lake, Michigan.

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.

For more information, visit www.vik9s.org.

Image via Alpharetta Department of Public Safety