The Tuskegee University Police Department announced on Mar. 23 that its K9 officer, Brendan, will soon be outfitted with a bullet and stab protective vest provided by the non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. The vest was sponsored by Gary Gerlacher of Banshee’s Pack in Melissa, Texas and will be embroidered with the message “This gift of protection provided by Banshee’s Pack.”
The donation aims to enhance the safety of Brendan as he supports law enforcement activities on campus. Assistant Chief Darrius Jones said, “We are grateful to Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. and Banshee’s Pack for helping to protect Brendan in his work as part of our community policy strategy. We look forward to outfitting Brendan with his new vest as he continues supporting our work to ensure that our campus is safe and secure for our faculty, staff and students, and visitors to our campus.”
The department expects the custom-fitted vest to arrive within ten weeks.
Vested Interest in K9s, Inc., established in 2009 as a 501(c)(3) charity, provides bullet and stab protective vests for law enforcement dogs across the United States. Since its founding, it has donated over 6,348 vests valued at $6.9 million nationwide through private and corporate contributions.
To qualify for this program, dogs must be at least twenty months old and actively employed or certified with law enforcement or related agencies; those with expired vests are also eligible. There are an estimated thirty thousand law enforcement K9s working throughout the country.
Each donated vest is valued at $1,800 dollars and comes with a five-year warranty.
