LA MARQUE — Four La Marque Police Department K9s have received new protective body armor through a charitable donation, the department announced.

K9s Charley, Grim, Karma, and Shadow were each fitted with bullet- and stab-resistant vests provided by the nonprofit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. The vests were sponsored through the Survival Armor incentive program and are embroidered with the message, “Gifted by Vested Interest in K9s and Survival Armor.”

According to the organization, the vests are made in the United States, custom-fitted for each dog, and certified by the National Institute of Justice. Each vest weighs about four to five pounds and comes with a five-year warranty.

Vested Interest in K9s, Inc., founded in 2009, is a 501(c)(3) charity that provides protective vests and other assistance to law enforcement dogs nationwide. The group says it has supplied more than 6,300 vests valued at nearly $7 million to K9s in all 50 states through private and corporate donations.

The program is open to U.S. law enforcement K9s that are at least 20 months old and actively certified. Dogs with expired vests are also eligible.

There are an estimated 30,000 law enforcement K9s serving agencies across the United States.

_{Photo credit: City of La Marque}