The Grantsville City Police Department’s K-9 officer has a new protective vest donated by a Massachusetts-based non-profit.
Kaos, a 7-year-old Belgian malinois, joined the department in 2014 following the retirement of Grantsville’s former K-9 officer, Zoro. Vested Interest, a charity that donates bullet and stab protective vests to law enforcement, donated the new gear for Kaos.
The new vest weighs about 4 pounds, with a value between $1,795 and $2,234, according to Vested Interest. The protective gear would have been an additional expense for the department; Kaos is the only K-9 based in Tooele County and is a dual-purpose patrol and narcotics dog.
Kaos’s partner, Sgt. Mike Jones, said the previous vest worn by Zoro was too large and he reached out to Vested Interest for a replacement. The non-profit agreed, if Jones was willing to donate Zoro’s old vest to another agency in need.
Jones said the vest has been sent to the U.S. Border Patrol to be worn by a K-9 working with that federal agency. The U.S. Border Patrol is having difficulty getting vests for their dogs, he said.
After donating the larger vest, however, there was a period of time before the new one arrived, during which Kaos had no stab or ballistic protection, Jones said.
“In that span, we had a couple calls where I took Kaos and had nothing to put on him,” he said. “If he was to get shot or stabbed, we would have no protection.”
Grantsville City Police Officer Alison Peterson said it was nerve-wracking for the team to have Kaos working without a vest. Kaos is always front and center if he’s involved in a criminal apprehension, she said.
“In all reality, if it comes down to it, he’s going to be the one that’s going to make that initial contact with the suspect, whether they’re armed or unarmed, in order to protect the rest of the team,” Peterson said.
Unlike the vests worn by the department’s human officers, the new vest for Kaos is stab- and bullet-proof, which is important due to the close proximity the K-9 needs to be in when apprehending suspects.
“When he took the last suspect into custody, I’m 100 yards away,” Jones said. “He had the suspect held down on the ground. (The suspect) could have easily pulled something out of his pocket and reached up and stabbed (Kaos).”
The vest is also custom fit so it’s more comfortable and doesn’t restrict Kaos’s motion in the field, Jones said. Vested Interest gives a pamphlet with the required measurements to departments so they can ensure a snug fit.
While the protective vest is great protection, Jones said Kaos doesn’t wear it on every call. If Kaos needs to be deployed immediately, he may be let go without it, as it’s too cumbersome to wear at all times.
“If I get those extra valuable minutes to throw the vest on, it goes on,” Jones said. “Otherwise, sometimes he has to go without it.”
Kaos’ new protective vest also carries a tribute to a fellow K-9 officer who was killed in the line of duty, with embroidery reading, “In memory of K9 Nicky, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police, NV.” Jones said he knows a handler in the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and they were glad to see the tribute to Nicky, who was killed by friendly fire during an altercation with a double-murder suspect last March.
Vested Interest was founded in 2009 to help provide protective vests and other assistance to K-9 units of law enforcement agencies around the country. Since its founding, the agency has provided 1,900 protective vests to K-9 units in 49 states, according to the non-profit.