STATE OF CONNECTICUT
Department of Emergency Services &
Public Protection
Connecticut State Police
Public Information Office
 
Connecticut State Police Patch
Dr. Dora B. Schriro
Commissioner
Colonel Alaric J. Fox
Deputy Commissioner
Division of State Police
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Connecticut State Police K-9s Receive Body Armor

     (MIDDLETOWN CT – November 6, 2017) – Two Connecticut State Police dogs have received body armor. K9 Ugo and K9 Texas have each received a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from the non-profit organization, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc.  K9 Ugo’s vest is sponsored by Curtiss Ryan Honda of Shelton, while K9 Texas’s vest was sponsored by a fundraiser hosted by Beacon Valley Animal Hospital, Naugatuck.
        K9 Ugo has been assigned to Trooper Pieter Groot since 2014 and the team is currently working at Troop C in Tolland. K9 Ugo is a four-year-old German Shephard and trained in all aspects of handler protection, evidence recovery, building searches and tracking. Additionally, K9 Ugo completed the Connecticut State Police Human Remains Detection course wilderness/disaster/crime scene) and has been a member of the Search and Rescue Team since September 2014.  K-9 Ugo is trained in all aspects of cadaver/blood/bone detection and live find search techniques.

            K9 Texas has been assigned to Trooper First Class Edward Anuszewski at Troop A in Southbury since August 2016. K9 Texas is a 2 ½ year-old bloodhound who is trained to locate lost/missing people, suspects and deceased persons.

            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 nonprofit was established in 2009 to assist law enforcement agencies with this potentially lifesaving body armor for their four -legged K9 partners.  Through private and corporate donations, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc., has provided more than 2,600 protective vests in all 50 states at a cost of more than $2.1 million. All vests are custom made in the USA by Armor Express in Central Lake, MI. 
   
            The program is open to dogs actively employed in the U.S. with law enforcement or related agencies who are certified and at least 20 months of age. New K9 graduates, as well as K9s with expired vests, are eligible to participate.

            The suggested donation to provide one protective vest for a law enforcement K9 is $950.00. Each vest has an average weight of 4-5 pounds and has a value between $1,744 – $2,283 and a five-year warranty. There are an estimated 30,000 law enforcement K9s throughout the United States. For more information or to learn about volunteer opportunities, please call 508-824-6978. Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provides information, lists events, and accepts tax-deductible donations of any denomination at www.vik9s.org or mailed to P.O. Box 9 East Taunton, MA 02718.

TFC Anuszewski & K9 Texas


K9 Ugo, assigned to Trooper Groot
Contact Us:
                                      Office: 860-685-8230                     Fax: 860-685-8301                 
                      Email: DESPP.Feedback@ct.gov                
      Website: www.ct.gov/despp
           facebook.com/connecticutstatepolice                 
    @CT_State_Police #ctstatepolice
An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer