Man's Best Friend Gets Protection
By Corey Lyons
Contra Costa Newspapers
April 29, 2001
CONCORD -- The naked nine, a group of shaggy-haired detectives, will no longer be working in the buff.
That's good news for any dog in the police business.
In an effort to screen man's best friend from the perils of patrol, Concord police are raising money to purchase bulletproof vests to cover each of the nine dogs in their K-9 unit.
The Kevlar jackets, which will protect the animals while they sniff out leads in the line of fire, promise to fend off both bullets and knives.
"Lives are being saved by these dogs?and they don't have any protection themselves," said Concord Sgt. Robin Heinemann, who heads the K-9 unit.
So far, Heinemann and city volunteers have raised $7,000 that ultimately will be used to outfit the toothy detectives: Aros, Arras, Brutus, Jake, Kazan, Mikey, Nero, Zarr and Zeus.
Protective gear for police dogs is the latest rage, part of a national movement among law enforcement agencies that began with a high-profile shooting three years ago.
In 1999, a popular New Jersey police dog, Solo, was shot and killed by a suspect during a 23-hour standoff. The widespread media coverage that followed led to aggressive fund-raising efforts nationwide to help suit up the canines.
International Armor, which designed the first safety jacket for dogs, has sold more than 1,000 canine vests over the past two years, said national sales manager Kathy Ryan in Oceanside.
Indeed, there is a need to shield these moist-nosed sleuths from America's most wanted.
According to the U.S. Police Canine Association, an average of two police dogs each year are shot and killed in the line of duty.
Russ Hess, the USPCA's national executive director, warned that dog vests are a relatively new venture that have not been fully tested. "I am aware of no actual incident that the vest has saved a life or prevented injury as of today's date," he said.
In Concord, police believe the jackets -- which cost between $600 and $1,000 apiece -- will be put to good use on certain assignments.
"The ballistic and stab-resistant vest is an excellent tool with a relatively narrow application," said K-9 Officer David Hughes, whose patrol partner is Arras, a Belgian Malinois.
Hughes said handlers should work closely and often with a dog wearing the potentially uncomfortable vest, which runs collar to tail and wraps under the animal's belly with Velcro straps.
The vest will be most effective, he said, when the dog feels comfortable enough to use it.
Since the department's K-9 unit began more than 35 years ago, no dog is believed to have been killed on the job.
Yet danger lurks with every sniff on the street. Several months ago, a K-9 unit was dispatched to track down a parolee, armed with a knife, who had fled from Concord police.
Officers cautiously approached the mouth of a dark drainage ditch in which the man was believed to be hiding. Jake, an 85-pound German shepherd, darted inside and latched onto the suspect's arm. The man dropped his knife. "That dog should have had a vest," Heinemann said.
Generally, police departments cannot rationalize spending money on canine vests when there is often a shortage of safety vests for humans. Which is why supporters like Heinemann are on their own to raise the necessary funds.
A dog walk fund-raiser, sponsored by Meadow Homes Association, will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday at Meadow Homes Park to support Concord's K-9 vests.
Hughes, enjoying his second year in the K-9 unit, has never been happier with a partner. And the vest may preserve that relationship. "As big and strong as these dogs are," he said, "they are remarkably fragile. It doesn't take much to sideline them."
Contra Costa Newspapers
April 29, 2001
CONCORD -- The naked nine, a group of shaggy-haired detectives, will no longer be working in the buff.
That's good news for any dog in the police business.
In an effort to screen man's best friend from the perils of patrol, Concord police are raising money to purchase bulletproof vests to cover each of the nine dogs in their K-9 unit.
The Kevlar jackets, which will protect the animals while they sniff out leads in the line of fire, promise to fend off both bullets and knives.
"Lives are being saved by these dogs?and they don't have any protection themselves," said Concord Sgt. Robin Heinemann, who heads the K-9 unit.
So far, Heinemann and city volunteers have raised $7,000 that ultimately will be used to outfit the toothy detectives: Aros, Arras, Brutus, Jake, Kazan, Mikey, Nero, Zarr and Zeus.
Protective gear for police dogs is the latest rage, part of a national movement among law enforcement agencies that began with a high-profile shooting three years ago.
In 1999, a popular New Jersey police dog, Solo, was shot and killed by a suspect during a 23-hour standoff. The widespread media coverage that followed led to aggressive fund-raising efforts nationwide to help suit up the canines.
International Armor, which designed the first safety jacket for dogs, has sold more than 1,000 canine vests over the past two years, said national sales manager Kathy Ryan in Oceanside.
Indeed, there is a need to shield these moist-nosed sleuths from America's most wanted.
According to the U.S. Police Canine Association, an average of two police dogs each year are shot and killed in the line of duty.
Russ Hess, the USPCA's national executive director, warned that dog vests are a relatively new venture that have not been fully tested. "I am aware of no actual incident that the vest has saved a life or prevented injury as of today's date," he said.
In Concord, police believe the jackets -- which cost between $600 and $1,000 apiece -- will be put to good use on certain assignments.
"The ballistic and stab-resistant vest is an excellent tool with a relatively narrow application," said K-9 Officer David Hughes, whose patrol partner is Arras, a Belgian Malinois.
Hughes said handlers should work closely and often with a dog wearing the potentially uncomfortable vest, which runs collar to tail and wraps under the animal's belly with Velcro straps.
The vest will be most effective, he said, when the dog feels comfortable enough to use it.
Since the department's K-9 unit began more than 35 years ago, no dog is believed to have been killed on the job.
Yet danger lurks with every sniff on the street. Several months ago, a K-9 unit was dispatched to track down a parolee, armed with a knife, who had fled from Concord police.
Officers cautiously approached the mouth of a dark drainage ditch in which the man was believed to be hiding. Jake, an 85-pound German shepherd, darted inside and latched onto the suspect's arm. The man dropped his knife. "That dog should have had a vest," Heinemann said.
Generally, police departments cannot rationalize spending money on canine vests when there is often a shortage of safety vests for humans. Which is why supporters like Heinemann are on their own to raise the necessary funds.
A dog walk fund-raiser, sponsored by Meadow Homes Association, will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday at Meadow Homes Park to support Concord's K-9 vests.
Hughes, enjoying his second year in the K-9 unit, has never been happier with a partner. And the vest may preserve that relationship. "As big and strong as these dogs are," he said, "they are remarkably fragile. It doesn't take much to sideline them."
posted by Corey at 3:38 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home