New London Police K9 Receives Protective Vest From Nonprofit

NEW LONDON, CT — The New London Police Department’s K9 Magic has received a new protective vest thanks to a donation from the nonprofit organization Vested Interest in K9s, police said in a Facebook post.

The vest is designed to help protect the police dog from potential danger while on duty. Police said the donation supports officer and K9 safety and helps ensure K9 Magic can continue serving the community.

The vest was provided at no cost to the department and is custom-fitted for K9 Magic. It includes an embroidered message noting that the protective gear was donated by Vested Interest in K9s.
Vested Interest in K9s is a nonprofit organization founded in 2009. Its mission is to provide protective vests and other support to police dogs and similar service dogs across the United States.

Since its founding, the organization has donated more than 6,200 protective vests to police K9s in all 50 states, according to the group. The total value of those donations is nearly $7 million.

Police said there are an estimated 30,000 law enforcement K9s working nationwide. The nonprofit’s program is open to active police dogs that meet age and service requirements, as well as dogs whose protective gear has expired.

Each vest costs more than $1,000 to sponsor and is built to last several years, the organization said. The donations are funded through private and corporate contributions.