Should our furry officers be provided with body armor?
February 14, 2013
Our deepest condolences go out to the St. Paul Police Department on the loss of canine officer Kody in a February 13th stabbing. What precautions should we offer non-human officers that regularly enter harm’s way? Additionally, can we learn anything about diversity issues from dogs and other animals? Read about a department that is providing vests to police canines. Read about Honolulu PD’s dogs in vests.
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CJS-360 Diversity Issues 
Thanks for putting this post on the site. First, I don’t believe we should for a dog to walk around with 5 extra pounds maybe just as harmful as people walking around with extra weigh on.
The question can we learn something about diversity from dogs and other animal. Yes, they love everybody Black,White, Poor or Rich. Animals don’t look at color if I recall the CJS is blind but chapter 2,3,4 sorry and 1 in the book The Color of Justice says something different.
I’m confused as to why you do not believe police dogs should wear vests. First, and foremost, five pounds is not heavy. I don’t know what is “harmful” about walking around with weight either? Generally, I would surmise that it is society’s unwillingness to handle weight that is harmful. The police dogs are in the 80 pound range and they are incredibly strong. Their partners in blue wear far heavier equipment.
Turning to a more fiscal approach, we are looking at about $1000 per vest. Someone correct me if I am wrong but I believe departments generally pay about $7500 just for the dog itself and spend countless more dollars to train and care for the dog – this seems like a wise investment. I sincerely doubt, however, that many departments will be outfitting their dogs with these.
I agree with Johnson, I don’t see why we would need to pay more in taxes for dogs to wear vests. Yes these animals do a lot for the police and us civilians but I personally don’t think its worth a extra 1,000. There are far too many things that we can be spending that money on in departments than to throw into dog vests.
Thanks
Don
I agree, 5 pounds is nothing.
I think this is one of the best ideas they have had, getting vest for the K-9 officers. They go places were officers can’t or to dangerous. They should be protected just like other police officers; they lay down their lives just like police officers. A $1000.00 for a vest is a cheap investment; which would protect a K-9 dog which costs $7500.00. St. Paul Minnesota just lost Kody a canine officer to stab wounds, with a vest might have saved him. A police dog or any other animals becomes your partner, which does save his or her handler many times over. Kody was the fifth St Paul K9 to be killed in the line of duty. Five dog’s costs $37500.00 so replace them it would be $37,500.00 or $5000.00 for 5 vest that might have save those dogs. Police officers themselves wear vest cost about the same. K9 units put their lives on the line to protect and serve with the police officer; they should have some protection too. 5 pounds is nothing to a 55 to 95 pound dog depends on a male or female. In this class we are talking about race, ethnicity, and gender what our fellow canines or other animals that help the police in their job. K9’s do job that police can’t do or that are too dangerous to do. Would we be discriminating against these four legged officers that put their lives on the line for us every day? Just a thought!
I would be okay strapping on one of those nice bomb suits (probably more than 1,000 dollars) on the dogs if they ever need to sniff out some explosives. Same reasons why dogs have bulletproof vests and floatation devices strapped to them… if the occasion calls for it I say protect the things that protect us. And, your post was 100 percent correct Cory we’ll save money by saving dogs.
I agree with most of these comments. I think it is well worth the money- police dogs are expensive! They spend so much money on training them and buying them (normally from Germany), that I feel this is a good way to “get their moneys worth”. I also agree that they should be treated like human police officers. When a police dog is killed, the person is convicted of killing a POLICE OFFICER. With that in mind, I feel they should be protected like human officers. K9’s are not human, I know, and cannot defend themselves the same way human officers can. They cannot shoot back. I feel the vests would be an amazing thing to add onto the police officers. I also disagree with the first comment- I do not think the weight of the vest would be a problem for the dogs. They are extremely strong and it could possibly save their lives. I have heard of too many police dogs being hurt and stand by these doggy-vests 100%. Also, I think many people love the fact that dogs do not have any views on race, religion, culture, etc. I think they are very important to the police departments for many reasons, including that. They do not go after a suspect for their race or gender. I loved this article- hearing about this murder was extremely sad to me and I enjoyed being able to talk about this topic.
I am also wondering if anyone knows if the picture above of the k9 vest has the same things human officers have on their vests? What is different and what is the same? Should they be exactly alike- just fitted to a dog, or should they have different protectants?
Nothing better could be provided for the protection of our K-9 officers than body armor in today’s world. The necessity of this kind of protection cannot be overstated, Our K_9 0fficers are the bravest on the force; they confront danger without giving it a second thought. They usually go places human officers dare not go. Our canine officers deserve the same kind of protection we provide for our human officers. If police departments can create budget to provide protective gears for police officers, they can do the same for their K-9 officers. And to suggest that a 5lb protective jacket is too much of a load to bear is to underestimate the ability of our K-9 heroes.
Danni – what I read online was that a K-9 vest (for example the BA1000 vest) is capable of withstanding Level II threats such as bullets and the BA3000 vest features a Level II ballistic/stab-resistant combination. I believe these K-9 officers should be protected, if there is a product out there, then why not? I agree with previous comments that it seems to be worth the investment. Departments do spend a lot of money and time with these dogs and they become part of the “family”. There could be fundraisers held to raise the funds needed to buy a vest. It seems like a wise investment to me.
Would you go to war or even a domestic assault, where weapons are known, without a ballistic vest or even a firearm? I think the majority, if not all people would answer no. Then why should we send K-9’s into these situations with no protection? There only defense mechanism is their mouths. I have a strong opinion on this that Police K-9’s should have ballistic vests just like their partners that wear the uniform. Already, in my law enforcement career I have been saved by wearing my vest and it saved my life. With experiencing this, I know the importance of vests and armor, and this is the best invention for K-9’s to let them have a chance. A St. Paul K-9 was killed in the line of duty a few weeks ago by being stabbed by the suspect, when the K-9 was sent in because it was too dangerous for the officers. The value these K-9’s contribute outweighs the cost of these vests significantly. Can anyone put a cost on a life, especially of a law enforcement officer (including K-9’s)? Any related to this class is the issues that result from diversity. Well, if we don’t take steps that are available to protect these K-9’s because they’re dogs I think that could be “animalism.” Only because these officers are furry and have four legs does NOT mean we shouldn’t protect our fellow partners.
I believe these K-9’s should be protected. The department I worked for just got a new dog and they are incredibly expensive. They are brought in from another country and with the training cost nearly $25,000. These dogs are invaluable to a department and they deserve the best of the best because of all they do. Why shouldn’t they be considered the same as officers when they are thrown in more threatening situations? These dogs are sent in to find a suspect and allow the officer to have better tactical and safety advantage. If it is the cost of the vests that is what is keeping departments from buying these, then fundraising can easily be done to raise a $1,000.
I agree completely. If they showed their area how much training and work went into the new K9 unit, I think the public would likely be willing to donate the funds to provide it with a vest. It seems silly to me to risk such a huge investment of time, as well as money, to save $1000. After such a huge investment, it seems like that small cost would be work it to keep the new K9 officer safe.
I’m sorry NK I have to disagree. These K9’s are also trained to apprehend suspects as well. Having 5 lbs. or so added on to them when they are trained to pull, drag, push, whatever the case may be, suspects out of a concealed area who can weigh anywhere between 100-250 lbs. is their daily routine. Adding 5 lbs. to them is like putting a feather on their back. I think this is a phenomenal investment! Why not invest $1,000 into a vest that can save the K9’s life than to pay $7,500+ when a dog is killed in the line of duty? It seems silly not to invest in something like that. These dogs are trained to find things/persons that are engaging in illegal activity. There is no racial discimination going on with them. If you try tell me that you would not add 5 lbs or so to you when going to war, or a dangerous situation with weapons because you think it is ‘harmful’ to add more weight to our bodies, than have at it. But I think you would really think differently when your family members or friends are put in a situation like that. You would want all the gear possible on them to protect them, as you would youself.
I believe that we should be protecting out K9 officers with armor. Many times the K9 is the first one in when they are doing warrants, searches, etc. we wouldn’t put an unarmed and unprotected officer first in line- so why would we do this to the K9’s? The vest offers protection from being shot at, as well as more protection against being stabbed. The vest will add weight, but most definitely not enough weight to alter the dog’s ability to perform their job. Aside from the obvious benefits, the vest can also help to keep the dog warm in the winter. There is a downside in this as well; with the summer heat, this can cause the dog to over heat much faster. Overall, any department that has K9 officers should invest in these ballistic vest for the K9.
I absolutely think K9’s should be required to wear vests. First of all, with how much the department spends on purchasing the dog and having it go train however often they do, why wouldnt you want to do whatever it takes to make sure the dog is around as long as possible? Sure the vests are expensive, but thats how much a vest costs for a normal officer and most officers see their K9 as their partner and want to protect them any way possible. It is also not fair to the dogs that we expect them to go into these dangerous situations with nothing to protect them. You wouldn’t send an officer into a dangerous situation without protection, why should the dog have to? Take Officer Longbehn’s situation, im not sure whether the dog had a vest on or not, im assuming it didn’t, if Kody had been wearing a vest, he might have made it out alive with a few wounds. Just because it is an animal doesn’t mean you shouldn’t protect it any different than a normal officer, especially with the situation these K9’s get in to.
I agree that the vest should be provided for the K9 because the dog provides such an important roll for the police. They are the first ones to go into any bad situations, they provide drug and bomb identification, and the public loves them. With fundraising i believe you could easily raise enough money for the vest.
Police officers are protected, and I think that police departments should protect their dog’s. These dogs are doing some of the same things if not more then your average police officer. Why not provide them with the same necessities as the officer. I truly believe police departments should provide the same protections for their dogs as they would for their officers. If the protection can not be granted, then the departments shouldn’t put these dogs in harms away. A 1000 is not some chump change, and buying these vests would save their lives. I am all for it. I am from a place where dogs do not mean much people, but they are not treated inhuman. I think these vests can simply save them from minor injuries that would harm them for life.
First of all, I said 5 lbs but the vest are heavier than that. If you guys recalled I did 7 years in k9 and we have the best dept. in the state. We don’t use vest because they are heavy and you need to train with them all the time to condition the dogs. On top of that jumping in and out the cars are bad enough at 65-85 lbs . I loved both of my dogs and I know Dave did as well. I worked with him for 5 years and for you who are going in LE the vest will not stop a knife all the time.
NK, since you work for the best department in the state, you should know that K9’s from the best breeders come from overseas and can cost well over $10,000. I think it is cost-effective to spend less than 20% of the cost of the dog, on giving them a possible second chance at life. Perhaps the outcomes would have been different for dogs like K9 Kody or K9 Major if they were provided with vests. I think as long as handlers are conscious of possible heat-related issues with the vests, they will not do any harm to the dogs. That being said, I see nothing but benefit from equipping police K9’s with vests – especially in more urban areas where the dogs get used more frequently and are exposed to more danger.
I’ve seen K9’s operate at a full capacity with tactical vests, in the war zone. That in itself is a similarity to law enforcement environment. Military Police Dogs are trained almost the same as LE K9’s except for some of them are trained to jump out of moving planes at 10,000 feet. They are more than capable of enduring an extra five pounds for a twelve hour shift if trained properly. The cost effectiveness of equipping mans best friend is more than reasonable. I’ve seen Military Police Dogs operate with these vests and its nothing but impressive.
I would love to see a k9 outfitted in dragon skin
I definitely think It is worth it to spend the extra money to buy vests for K9 units; these dogs are bought from overseas and shipped here-they are well-bred, expensive dogs. On top of that initial cost to bring them over, they also need all the regular vet care, just like any other dog, plus departments put a lot of time, money, and effort into training them. Do they really deserve different treatment just because they are not a human officer, but a dog instead?
These dogs are used in very dangerous situations. For example, in an active shooter scenario, if an entry is unsafe, a dog will be sent in to check it out first. They deserve to receive a vest, just like any human cop would. These dogs see just as much danger as their human counterparts, and they would be very expensive to replace. It seems like a better deal for a department to spend a few thousand to protect all K9 units, rather than spend likely over ten thousand on a replacement for one that is critically injured (and retired) or killed.
Not only that, but these dogs all have a family. Every human officer gets so much protection, so they are likely to return to their families at the end of their shift, but these dogs also go home with their handlers and become a part of the family. It would be a huge emotional toll on the handler and other officers close to a K9 to lose a one in a situation where its death might have been preventable, had it received a vest.
No, I don’t believe that the K-9 should wear vests. First of all vests are very expensive. Police officers only get a new vest every five years or so and cost the department hundreds of dollars. If a department was to buy a vest for both police officers and the dogs it would take money away from other resources that need funds such as police training. Second and I know this sound bad, but it is better to have a dog killed on duty then an officer. An officer and their family has more to lose then a dog. With that said the K-9’s have been a very successful and a great benefit to departments all around the world. Third the vests could do more harm than good. The vest could slow the dog down while on a chase, the dog could be caught on something like a fence while on a chase, or could even over heat the animal. Also the vest still leaves open spaces for a knife or a bullet to hit and kill the dog therefore the vest is not a hundred present effective. Although these dogs are expensive and it is important to protect them, I don’t think the vests are the right decision. If anything more training would be the best option. Overall I do not think it would be best to have the K-9’s wear vests while on duty.
I definitely believe that police K-9’s should be fitted for and required to wear vests when they are working on apprehension assignments. Working as a reserve for a PD right now, we recently lost a K-9 officer due to a stab wound that he received in 2011.I definitely agree that a police K-9 is a tool that the department can utilize, hence why they send the dogs into dangerous situations that you would not want to send an actual officer. With that being said these dogs are also a member of the department and they are family to the handler they are assigned with. As for the cost of $1,000 dollars for a K-9 vest, it is upwards of a thousand dollars fora police officer vest as well. Lets imagine that you pay the $10,000 dollars to send the police K-9 through training and the first night on the street they get shot and can no longer serve as a police dog, whereas if the dog had a vest on then they would have a higher chance of being able to return to work. We all hope that our police officers and K-9’s never need to use their bullet proof vests but I feel we as a society can at least support the people and animals that are protecting us each and every day. These police dogs are also trained to never give up until told to do so, despite kicks/punches/etc. If the dog had a vest on it could help lessen the blows caused by these strikes and in turn could make the dog more effective during apprehensions. It baffles me why anyone would say they don’t believe the police K-9 officers should have a vest to protect themselves when they are exposed to the same dangers as a regular police officer who would never go a day without wearing theirs.