4 Haverford Police K9s Getting Body Armor Vests

HAVERFORD TOWNSHIP, PA – Four four-legged members of the Haverford Township Police Department will be getting some extra protection while on duty thanks to a group that provides body armor to K9 officers across all 50 states.

Haverford Police said K9 Officers Barr, Kato, Jango, and Axel will get their very own body armor courtesy of the non-profit group Vested Interest in K9s Inc.

The bullet- and stab-proof vests will feature an embroidered message reading "In memory of K9 Ty, California City Police Department," police said.

Vested Interests in K9s provides vests and other forms of assistance for K9 officers throughout the nation.

Based in East Taunton, Massachusetts, the group has provided more than 2,600 vests to K9s since it was founded in 2009.

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, Haverford Police said. New K9 graduates, as well as K9s with expired vests, are eligible to participate, according to police.

The donation to provide one protective vest for a law enforcement K9 is $950.

Each vest has a value between $1,744 – $2,283 and a five-year warranty, and an average weight of 4-5 lbs. An estimated 30,000 law enforcement K9s serve communities throughout the United States.

Learn more about or donate to Vested Interest in K9s Inc. at the group's website here.

Images via Haverford Township Police Department