Suiting Up: Lower Merion Police K9 Gets Donated Body Armor

Lower Merion Police Department K9 Murphy received some back up from the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and Vested Interest in K9, Inc. in the form of his own body armor recently.

Murphy, who has been with the Lower Merion Police Department since 2009 and works with Officer Gerard Bellew, got his new vest in honor of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police's late K9 Rocco.

"We're very relived," Lower Merion Police Department Sgt. John String said of the added protection for Murphy.

String, who used to be a K9 handler as well, said the extra protection means a great deal to handlers and the department as a whole.

"You develop a strong bond," he said of handlers and their K9 partners.

Luckily, String said the department has had only minor injuries, like small cuts on a paw pad, in its K9s.

The vests come from the East Taunton, Mass. based Vested Interest in K9s, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non profit with a mission to provide bullet and stab protective vests and other assistance to dogs of law enforcement and related agencies in the nation. Since 2009, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. has provided over 1,900 protective vests in 49 states at a cost of over 1.6 million dollars through donations. All vests are custom made in the U.S.

According to Vested Interest's website, K9 vests are custom fitted to each K9 and range from about $1,800 to $2,300. String said the donated vests are very financially helpful to the department.

"A lot of K9 stuff is taken through donations," he said, going on to say K9 Murphy was actually purchased through a donation by the Murphy family which gave the four-legged officer his name.

For K9s to be considered to receive a vet from the organization, they must be actively employed in the United States, must be certified with his/her current handler, must be at least 20 months of age, according to the organization's website.

String said the department's K9 Rookie received a vest back in July as well. Check out a video of K9 Rookie below.

Images and video via Lower Merion Police Department Facebook