North Central Oklahoma Sheriff's Office Raises Funds for K9 Vests | Don't miss this

ENID, Okla. — A north-central Oklahoma sheriff's office is raising money to buy two bulletproof vests for two of its canine officers.

The Garfield County Sheriff's Office fundraising campaign began on May 8. The goal is $9,260; $7,000 will be used to purchase vests worth $3,500 each, which will be worn by Torrik and Doc. The vests protect against handgun fire, stab wounds, shrapnel, impalement and other environmental hazards, according to the fundraising campaign's website.

The vests are ballistic level 2 rated, allowing for a combination of mobility, agility and protection. Excess funds beyond the $7,000 for vests will be used to purchase a muzzle, harness and bite suit.

MP Adam Elliott said additional supplies were needed due to the condition of their current muzzles and bite suits.

“I have a muzzle that suits me; It doesn't fit as well as it could, but it works. I don’t have a tracking harness,” he said. “Some bite suits are quite big for me so it's difficult to maneuver them, so I need a bite suit that fits me.”

According to a news release from the Sheriff's Office, the vests will help Doc and Torrik with their daily responsibilities, from chasing down violent offenders to clearing narcotics off the streets and daily searches of buildings, areas and items.

“They are both dual-purpose dogs, so they carry out drug detection, suspect apprehension and patrol operations. So we’re going to be looking for suspects, clearing the buildings and working with the SRT unit,” Elliot said. “We’re kind of going to get into some dangerous situations with the dogs.”

According to Officer Down Memorial Page, a nonprofit dedicated to tracking law enforcement deaths, from 2013 to 2023, an average of 8.2 law enforcement K9s were shot per year across the country. .

So far in 2024, three K9 officers have been shot across the country.

The Garfield County Sheriff's Office is working on the campaign with a 30×30 fundraiser. 30×30 Fundraising is a national 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds for law enforcement K9s for vests, training equipment and even veterinary needs.

The 30×30 fundraiser grew out of a 2015 campaign called “Keep the K9s in Kevlar.” According to the 30×30 website, 30×30 was launched after campaign leaders saw a greater need than expected.

According to Garfield County Sheriff Cory S. Rink, the Sheriff's Office is unable to purchase necessary supplies due to budget restrictions, forcing them to rely on contributions from the community.

“On a budgetary level, we do not have the funds necessary to support [it] and we've always received donations in the past, and that's why we're looking for donations again,” Rink said.