The University of Delaware Police Department’s K-9 Scout will receive a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from nonprofit organization Vested Interest in K9s Inc. K-9 Scout’s vest will be embroidered with the sentiment “In memory of K9 Rocco Pittsburgh Bureau of Police.” Delivery is expected within eight to 10 weeks.

UD officer Patrick McCloskey and K-9 Scout have been assigned to the K-9 Unit since its inception in 2010. They attended the New Castle County K-9 Academy, which was an intensive 6-month course.

UD Police K-9 Teams are trained in several areas, including explosive detection, suspect tracking, missing person tracking, article/evidence recovery, searching a building or outdoor area for a hiding suspect, handgun recovery, suspect apprehension and handler protection.

McCloskey and Scout come to work every day as a team. At the end of their shift, Scout and McCloskey go home together.  

Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c (3) charity located 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. provided over 2,000 protective vests, in 50 states, through private and corporate donations, at a cost of over $1.7 million. All vests are custom made in the USA by Armor Express in Central Lake, Michigan.

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 K-9 graduates, as well as K-9s with expired vests, are eligible to participate.

The donation to provide one protective vest for a law enforcement K-9 is $1,050. 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 K-9s 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.