K9 Elmar from Worcester PD is Getting Body Armor

WORCESTER, MA—K9 Elmar is getting some much-deserved extra protection as he works on the force with Worcester police.

Worcester Police Department’s K9 Elmar is receiving a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from Vested Interest in K9s. K9 Elmar’s vest is sponsored by Dee Summers of Salem, MA, and will be embroidered with the sentiment “In memory of Dawn Cherie Wolfson 3/5/70 - 1/30/16."

Vested Interest in K9s is a charity located in East Taunton 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 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, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provided more than 2,000 protective vests, in 50 states, through private and corporate donations, at a cost of over 1.7 million dollars.

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 are an estimated 30,000 law enforcement K9s throughout the United States.

Information and photo via Worcester Police Department