Monroe County Sheriff dogs awarded bullet-proof vests

K9 unit to receive two ballistic vests

MONROE, Mich. – The Monroe County Sheriff's Office announced Friday that its K9 team was recently awarded bullet and stab protective vests by Vested Interest in K9's Incorporated, a non-profit organization in East Taunton, MA.

Vested Interest in K9's Incorporated has a mission to provide bullet and stab protective vests to working dogs of law enforcement and related agencies throughout the United States. The organization will provide over 350 law enforcement dogs nationwide with protective body armor in memory of K9 Rocco of the Pittsburgh Police Department, who sacrificed his life in the line of duty in January 2014.

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The Monroe County Sheriff's Office K9 unit will receive two ballistic vests. Each vest costs $950 and has a five-year warranty. A nationwide Groupon event that raised over $335,000 also helped to pay for the new gear.

Deputy Rob Moody with K9 partner Ranger and Deputy Jeremy Peters with K9 partner Jack were the recipients of the protective vests.

"These vests will be a great asset to our K9 team and our K9 partners," Deputy Peters said.

Deputy Moody has been with the Monroe County Sheriff's Office for 11 years, working alongside Ranger for the last six of those years. Deputy Peters has worked with the sheriff's office for nine years, five of those alongside Jack.

"Our K9 partners put their lives on the line every day for us," Deputy Moody said. "It is nice to know they will be protected while in the line of duty. Without the help of organizations like Vested Interest in K9's Inc, we could not adequately protect our working dogs from harm. We thank them for this generous donation and for helping other agencies like ours in these tough economic times."

Anyone interested in donating to Vested Interest in K9's Inc. is encouraged to visit its website at www.vik9s.org.