According to Chief Herry Masse, Metropolis Police K9 Jocobo has been awarded a ballistic vest, thanks to the non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s. Jocobo’s vest will be embroidered with the sentiment “In memory of K9 Kye, Oklahoma City Police Department.”
Jocobo is a young adult Belgian Malinois who was purchased from Little Rock K9 Academy in Arkansas following the retirement of the previous K9, Bugsy. His many certifications include: narcotics detection, officer protection, tracking and searching and building and article searches. Jocobo’s handler is Officer Tim Davis.
Vested Interest in K9s is a charity located in Massachusetts. Their mission since 2009 is to provide protective vests and other assistance to dogs of law enforcement throughout the United States. They have provided almost 1600 protective vests in 49 states through private and corporate donations, at a cost of over 1.5 million dollars. All vests are custom made by Armor Express in Central Lake, MI.
The program is open to dogs actively employed in the U.S. with law enforcement or related agencies who are certified and at least 19 months of age. New K9 graduates, as well as K9s with expired vests, are eligible to participate. The suggested donation to provide one protective vest for a law enforcement K9 is $1050.00. 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 K9s throughout the United States.
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