WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. (Warren County) — The Washington Township Police Department’s K-9 Lupe will receive a bullet- and stab-protective vest through a charitable donation from a national nonprofit organization, police said.
The vest is being provided by Vested Interest in K9s Inc., a Massachusetts-based 501(c)(3) organization that supplies protective body armor and assistance to law enforcement dogs across the country. Lupe’s vest was sponsored through the Survival Armor incentive program and will be embroidered with the message: “Gifted by Vested Interest in K9s and Survival Armor.”
Delivery of the vest is expected within 10 weeks, police said.
According to the organization, the vests are made in the United States, custom fitted and certified by the National Institute of Justice. Since its founding in 2009, Vested Interest in K9s has provided more than 6,348 vests valued at $6.9 million to law enforcement K-9s in all 50 states.
The program is open to U.S. law enforcement dogs that are at least 20 months old, actively employed and certified with law enforcement or related agencies. Dogs with expired vests are also eligible. There are an estimated 30,000 law enforcement K-9s nationwide, the organization said.
Each vest is valued at $1,800, weighs approximately 4 to 5 pounds and comes with a five-year warranty. A single donation of $1,050 sponsors one vest, and the nonprofit accepts tax-deductible contributions in any amount.
More information about Vested Interest in K9s, including donation and volunteer opportunities, is available at www.vik9s.org.
