South Kingstown K9 Officer Receives Body Armor Donation

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, RI — The South Kingstown police department's newest, furriest recruit will receive protective body armor thanks to a Massachusetts organization.

Vested Interest in K9s donated a stab- and bulletproof vest for K9 Connor, who joined the department earlier this month. The vest was given in honor of Jack Schold and is expected to arrive in eight to 10 weeks.

Connor is a Belgian Malinois, who is currently completing a 14-week training with his partner, Officer Jonathan McHugh. The K9 was provided to the department through a grant from the Stanton Foundation's First Dog Program, which helps fund the start-up costs of adding a K9 officer to a department.

The East Taunton, Massachusetts organization Vested Interest in K9s is a charitable organization, which, since 2009, has provided the protective vests and other assistance to police and similar agency K9s. Each vest is custom-made in the U.S. The organization has provided more than 3,980 vests to K9s in all 50 states, totaling $6.9 million from both corporate and private donations.

To be eligible, dogs must be at least 20 months old and an active, certified member of a department. Each vest costs between $1,744 and $2,283 and weighs four to five pounds.