Vested Interest in K9s, a charity located in East Taunton, Massachusetts, provides bullet and stab protective vests and other assistance to dogs of law enforcement and related agencies throughout the United States.

Master Officer Jamie Hardy and Storm are new crime fighting partners for the Roanoke Rapids Police Department.  

Storm is a dual purpose dog trained in narcotics detection and tracking.

“Vested Interest’s program allows law enforcement agencies to protect their canine officer at no cost to the agencies,” said Chief Chuck Hasty. “This not only saves us money but most importantly it protects our four-legged officers from harm.”

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The non-profit was established in 2009 to assist law enforcement agencies with this potentially lifesaving body armor for their four-legged officers.

Since its inception, Vested Interest has provided more than 2,800 protective vests in 50 states through private and corporate donations at a cost of more than $2.3 million.

The program is open to dogs actively employed in the United States with law enforcement or related agencies who are certified and at least 20 months-old.

New canine graduates, as well as those with expired vests, are eligible to participate.

The donation to provide one protective vest for a law enforcement canine is $950.

Each vest has a value between $1,744 – $2,283, a five-year warranty and an average weight of 4-5 pounds.

There are an estimated 30,000 law enforcement canines throughout the United States.

For more information or to learn about volunteer opportunities call 508-824-6978.

Vested Interest 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.