Worcester County Sheriff’s Office K9 Karma to get body armor

WORCESTER COUNTY GOVERNMENT CENTER

ONE WEST MARKET STREET, ROOM 1001

SNOW HILL, MARYLAND 21863-1072

410-632-1111

Worcester County K-9 Karma

Worcester County Sheriff’s Office K9 Karma will receive a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. K9 Karma’s vest is sponsored by Staci Goveia of Lynwood, IL and will be embroidered with the sentiment “In memory of K9 Jethro - 9K4K9 EOW 1/10/2016”. Delivery is expected within eight to ten weeks.

Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c (3) charity located in East Taunton, MA 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 K9 officers. Since its inception, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provided over 1,900 protective vests, in 49 states, through private and corporate donations, at a cost of over 1.7 million dollars. All vests are custom made in the USA by Armor Express in Central Lake, MI.

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. New K9 graduates, as well as K9s with expired vests, are eligible to participate.

The Worcester County Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit has been in operation since the Late 1970s Worcester County Sheriff Reggie Mason was one of the first K-9 handlers for the Sheriff’s Office.

K-9 Karma’s handler is Cpl. Ramey. Cpl. Ramey is a 15 year veteran with the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office and has been a K-9 handler for 8 years.

The donation to provide one protective vest for a law enforcement K9 is $1,050.00. Each vest has a value between $1,795 – $2,234 and a five-year warranty, and an average weight of 4-5 lbs. There are an estimated 30,000 law enforcement K9s throughout the United States. For more information or to learn about volunteer opportunities, please call 508-824-6978. Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provides information, lists events, and accepts tax-deductible donations of any denomination at www.vik9s.org or mailed to P.O. Box 9 East Taunton, MA 02718.