One of the K-9 officers working with the Christian County Sheriff’s department is now wearing a high-dollar piece of protective equipment.
Timo is a seven-year-old Dutch Shepard who’s now sporting a $3,500 bulletproof, stab-resistant vest. Deputy Sean Head has been Timo’s handler for the last year.
“It’s no different from me going to a call and having no vest on – I kind of feel bare,” said Deputy Head. “It does give me added protection knowing that if I have to place him in danger like that, he has protection as well as I would.”
The vest came from a company called Vested Interest, which received $335,000 in donations to produce the protective gear. Several law enforcement agencies around the country were selected to receive the special vests.
Head says he’s trying to encourage other K-9 handlers to apply as well.
“You got a non-profit group that’s willing to donate vests. All you have to do is a little bit of work and they’ll donate the vest – it’s like a $3,500 dollar vest – that they donate to the department,” said Deputy Head.
Timo’s vest was donated in honor of a K-9 officer from Philadelphia named “Rocco” who was killed in the line of duty earlier this year.
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