GPD’s K9 Cain gets body armor

Courtesy photo Greencastle Police Department K9 Cain models his new bullet- and stab-protective vest. The K9 officer received a bullet- and stab-protective vest thanks to a donation from Vested Interest in K9s Inc.

Life on the streets just got a little safer for Cain, the Greencastle Police Department K9.

The city’s new K9 officer has received a bullet- and stab-protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s Inc.

K9 Cain’s vest is sponsored by an anonymous donor and embroidered with the sentiment “this gift of protection provided by Vested Interest in K9s Inc.”

A 90-pound, four-year-old German Shepherd, Cain started training with GPD Officer Kyle Lee in August and was completely certified in tracking, apprehensions and narcotics by the beginning of December.

Cain had already scored five confirmed narcotics busts by the second week of December and also recently helped apprehend a suspect who had fled a burglary scene in Madison Township near the Irwin Bridge.

Vested Interest in K9s Inc. 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 U.S.

The non-profit was established in 2009 to assist law enforcement agencies with potentially lifesaving body armor for their four-legged K9 officers. Since its inception, Vested Interest in K9s has provided more than 2,200 protective vests through private and corporate donations, at a cost of over $1.9 million.

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 and $2,234 and a five-year warranty, and an average weight of four to five pounds.