HomeMy WebLinkAboutEPD_BlitzReceivesVest
City of Edina 4801 W. 50th St. Edina, MN 55424
Contact: Kaylin Eidsness, Senior Communications Coordinator
Phone 952-833-9537 Fax 952-826-0389 www.EdinaMN.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
K-9 Blitz Receives Body Armor from Non-Profit
Edina, Minn., Feb. 11, 2016 – Edina Police Department’s K-9 Blitz has received a bullet-and-stab protective
vest thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc.
“I’m very grateful that Blitz now has protection while we’re on duty,” said Officer Sean Young, Blitz’s handler.
“The generosity of Vested Interest in K9s and the community has been incredible.”
The vest is embroidered with the sentiment “CaJah Salon honors MN K9s Kody, Rocky, Callahan & Laser,” in
memory of the four Minnesota K-9s who have been lost in the line of duty.
Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a non-profit charity based in East Taunton, Massachusetts, whose mission is to
provide bullet-and-stab protective vests and other assistance to dogs of law enforcement and related agencies
throughout the United States. The non-profit was established in 2009 to assist law enforcement agencies with
this potentially lifesaving body armor for their four-legged K-9 officers. Since its inception, Vested Interest in
K9s, Inc. has provided more than1,700 protective vests in 49 states through private and corporate donations,
at a cost of over $1.6 million. All vests are custom made in the United States by Armor Express in Central
Lake, Michigan.
The program is open to dogs actively employed in the United States with law enforcement or related agencies
who are certified and at least 19 months of age. New K-9 graduates, as well as K-9s with expired vests, are
eligible to participate.
The suggested donation to provide one protective vest for law enforcement K-9 is $1,050. Each vest has a
value between $1,795 and $2,234, comes with a five-year warranty and weighs about 5 pounds. There are an
estimated 30,000 law enforcement K-9s throughout the United States.
For more information or to learn about Vested Interest in K9s volunteer opportunities, call 508-824-6978.
Vested Interest in K9s provides information, lists events, and accepts tax-deductible donations of any
denomination at www.vik9s.org or P.O. Box 9, East Taunton, MA 02718.
-30-