Roanoke Rapids K9 officer gets new body armor

ROANOKE RAPIDS -- Roanoke Rapids Police Department's K9 Storm will receive a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc.

Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c (3) charity located in East Taunton, MA whose mission is to provide bullet and stab protective vests and other assistance to dogs of law enforcement and related agencies throughout the United States.

The non-profit was established in 2009 to assist law enforcement agencies with this potentially lifesaving body armor for their four-legged K9 officers. Since its inception, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provided over 2,800 protective vests, in 50 states, through private and corporate donations, at a cost of over 2.3 million dollars.

Master Officer Jamie Hardy and K9 Storm are new crime fighting partners for the Roanoke Rapids Police Department.

Storm is a dual purpose K9 trained in narcotics detection and tracking.

"Vested Interest's program allows law enforcement agencies to protect their K-9 officer at no cost to the agencies, this not only saves us money but most importantly it protects our four legged officers from harm," Chief Chuck Hasty said.