Buffalo Grove Police Department K9 Mac now has his own bullet-proof and stab-protective vest after a Massachusetts nonprofit made a special donation.
Village officials announced in a March 13 news release that Mac, a 2-year-old Sable German shepherd, received the vest from Vested Interest in K9s Inc. Mac joined the department in June 2023 and his handler is Officer Shannon McMillon, a 10-year veteran of the department.
According to the release, the vest is valued at $1,800, weighs about 5 pounds and has a five-year warranty. It is custom fitted, made in the U.S. and certified by the National Institute of Justice.
Vested Interest in K9s was established as a charity to provide bullet- and stab-protective vests to dogs of law enforcement. Since its inception in 2009, it has provided over 5,500 vests to K9s across the county at a cost of $6.9 million because of private and corporate donations, according to information provided on the organization’s website.
The release states the vests are available to law enforcement dogs age 20 months or older.
There are an estimated 30,000 K9s working in law enforcement agencies throughout the U.S., according to the release.
