New gear will protect Gardens police K-9s from bullets, stabbing
PALM BEACH GARDENS
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If police have body armor, why shouldn’t their four-legged partners?
Palm Beach Gardens Police K-9s Dexter, Kastor, Justice and Valco will be outfitted with vests that protect them from bullets and stabbing, thanks to a donation from the nonprofit Vested Interest in K9s Inc., the department announced this week.
Because of a partnership with the vest manufacturer, the nonprofit can get a vest for $950. Otherwise, each vest would cost the department $1,795 to $2,235. Each vest weighs 4 to 5 pounds and has a five-year warranty, according to police.
The city’s K-9 officers are all trained for patrol, and some complete additional training to find narcotics, explosives and missing people.
Justice joined the department and Officer Matthew Arnold last summer. Palm Beach Gardens resident Scott Smith and his family donated the money for police to get Justice. Then 2 years old, the German shepherd came from a training school in Slovakia.
Kastor, a Malinois shepherd mix, was 2 years old when he joined Officer Chris Baez in 2016. The Palm Beach Gardens Police Foundation raised $12,000 to buy Kastor, who is trained to detect explosives and find missing people.
Valco, a German shepherd born in 2013, has been with Officer Brian Tiyaloglu and the department since 2014, department spokesman Maj. Paul Rogers said. Valco, who is from Germany, is trained in narcotics detection and patrol.
Dexter, a 6-year-old German shepherd from Holland, has been with the department since 2014. He is trained in explosive detection and patrol. His partner is Officer Rich Pearce.
Dexter and Kastor’s vests will be embroidered “In memory of K9 Ty, California City Police Department.” Valco’s vest will be embroidered “In memory of K9 Jethro, Canton, OH Police Department,” according to the city.
Ty, the California dog, died in 2016 because of complications from a surgery for injuries that he suffered apprehending a suspect.
Jethro, the Ohio dog, died in 2016 after a man shot him multiple times while he and his partner were responding to a grocery store burglary. The 3-year-old German shepherd had been with the officer since he was an 8-week-old puppy, according to ABC News.
Vested Interest in K9s Inc. is in East Taunton, Massachusetts. It has provided more than 2,800 protective vests for police K-9s since it began in 2009.
Published at Thu, 03 May 2018 22:30:00 +0000
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