Altoona K9 officers get new protective vests from non-profit

ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ)–Two four-legged officers with the Altoona Police Department will now be protected with ballistic vests thanks to a donation by a non-profit that has helped other K9 officers across the country.

K9 officers Blue and Pongo received the vests from Brady’s K9 Fund , based out of Strongsville, Ohio. The non-profit was founded by an eight-year-old boy in 2018 who felt that all officers, even those who have tails, deserve protection.

“He got the idea from watching Live PD on A&E,” Sergeant of Public Relations for the Altoona Police Department Patrick Tomassetti said. “He realized that a lot of police departments don’t have enough funds to support their K9 programs.”

Since it started, Brady’s K9 Fund has donated over 1,000 vests to K9 officers in all 50 states. They rely mostly on donations, some from some pretty high-profile donors.

“There is a NASCAR driver named Kyle Weatherman who had donated the $2,500 directly for Blue’s vest,” Tomassetti said.

Patrol Officer and K9 Handler Steven Fox says that the vests will help him and other officers with the peace of mind that their partners are coming home safely.

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“In my opinion, he’s a police officer too, ” Fox said. “He goes into calls that I go to whether it’s a barking dog call or it’s a gunman on the loose he’s going to it with me. He loves working. We started out on a meet and greet and I pulled him out of a car. We had that bond right then and there.”

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