New body armor acquired for Cloverdale's K9 Chewy

Cloverdale K9 officer Chewy proudly wears his new body armor, secured through Vesterd Interests in K9s Inc. (Courtesy photo)

CLOVERDALE -- The Cloverdale Police Department's K9 Chewbacca (Chewy) has received a bullet-and-stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s Inc. The vest was sponsored by Alaska K9 Center in North Pole, Alaska, Chewy's handler, Cloverdale Sgt. Charlie Hallam, explained, and is embroidered with the sentiment "This gift of protection provided by Alaska K9 Center."

Vested Interest in K9s is a 501c(3) charity located in East Taunton, Mass., 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.

The Cloverdale Police Department K9 Team -- Sgt. Hallam and K9 Chewy -- "are very grateful for Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. for their continued dedication and services they offer and provide to agencies in protecting their K9's,"Sgt. Hallam said. "A special thank you to Alaska K9 Center for sponsoring the vest. We will proudly wear this potential life saving body armor in our daily duties."

K9 Chewy has been serving the Cloverdale Police Department since May 2014. K9 Chewy is a dual-purpose Police K9. As a K9 Team, they have more than 200 hours of training, to include annual certifications.

As a team, Hallam and Chewy are certified in narcotics detection, police patrol, building searches, tracking suspects and/or missing persons.

As a K9 Team, they have provided more than 100 calls for service and assistance for the community and other agencies. Numerous arrests have been made on subjects that may not have been possible without the valuable tool K9's represent. The K9 Team has provided numerous demonstrations to the public on K9 awareness and Making Smart Choices.

"K9 Chewy loves going to work and keeping the community safe.," Hallam said. "When not working, he enjoys playing and relaxing at home while being a part of the family."

Since its inception, Vested Interest in K9s has provided more than 1,800 protective vests in 49 states, through private and corporate donations at a cost of more than $1.6 million. All vests are custom made in the USA by Armor Express in Central Lake, Mich.

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 donation to provide one protective vest for a law enforcement K9 is $1,050. Each vest has a value between $1,795-$2,234, and a five-year warranty and an average weight of four to five pounds.

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.

The Cloverdale K9 Team solely operates on donations made possible from the public.

Further inquiries on the K9 Team can be made to Sgt. Hallam, 765-795-3800 (Ext. 2).