K9 Riggs receives body armor

Hot Springs County Sheriff's Office K9 Riggs has received a donation of body armor. Sergeant Casey Freund said that K9 Riggs started his service in June 2022 and is now two years old, reaching a 20-month threshold. This means he has stopped growing and was measured and fitted for body armor. 

Hot Springs County Sheriff's Office K9 Riggs has received a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from the non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. K9 Riggs' vest was sponsored by Amanda Hoback of Simpsonville, KY, and embroidered with the sentiment "In memory of Guinness & Paul J. Hoback- KY".

Freund said, "If we're going to be using him for apprehending, it's probably going to be something, especially if he's going up, he might be used to track the suspect down. But if he's going to be going up and possibly biting somebody on the off chance that he does, it's gonna be somebody that's most likely violent. The odds of having a weapon, either a knife or a gun, are fairly high at that point in time if he's being used for the apprehension. So having a vest like this is great because it's not only a ballistic for bullets, but it's a slash vest as well for knives to help protect his vital organs just in case there is an incident where you were to get shot. In the last two weeks, Colorado had a canine shot and killed over at the School of Mines by Golden. So just another reason why having these vessels are super important."

Freund said one of K9 Riggs's success stories working with Deputy Shayna Cox was when "a male who took off on foot from her. He ran across from the old Exxon area, ran down a field and jumped in the river, and tried to swim away in the river. When the suspect swam across the other side of the river, he disappeared. So Cox went to the other side of the river and deployed, and walked around. We were able to find where he was. K9 Riggs was detecting in the area and the suspect actually was still in the water, hiding under a bush with his face just up above where he could breathe. And K9 Riggs was able to locate the suspect. He was right in that area and we were able to find him and arrest him."

K9 Riggs with Deputy Cox under Detections has had 19 deployments, 33 search areas, seven alerts/indications, and five seizure incidents. For Patrols, he has had three deployments, zero arrests with bites, two people found, and a 0% bite ratio. Additionally, Riggs has had four seizure incidents of methamphetamine, 6.06 grams, and one seizure incident of cocaine, 4.62 grams. 

Freund added about K9 Riggs, "He's family for us. We're super excited to have more protection for him. All of us have body armor, obviously, in our line of work, and it's just nice to have some for Riggs as he is a deputy for the sheriff's office still as a K-9, you know, and we're excited to have him."

K9 Rigg's body armor comes from Vested Interest in K9s, Inc., established in 2009, is a 501(c)(3) charity whose mission is to provide bullet and stab protective vests and other assistance to dogs of law enforcement and related agencies throughout the United States. This potentially lifesaving body armor for four-legged K9 officers is U.S.-made, custom-fitted, and NIJ certified. Since its inception, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. has provided over 4,970 vests to K9s in all 50 states at a value of $6.9 million, made possible by both private and corporate donations.  

The program is open to U.S. dogs that are at least 20 months old and actively employed and certified with law enforcement or related agencies. K9s with expired vests are also eligible to participate. There are an estimated 30,000 law enforcement K9s throughout the United States. 

Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. accepts tax-deductible contributions in any amount, while a single donation of $985 will sponsor one vest. Each vest has a value of $1,744-$2,283, weighs an average of 4-5 lb., and comes with a five-year warranty. For more information, or to learn about volunteer opportunities, please call 508-824-6978. Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provides information, lists events, and accepts donations at http://www.vik9s.org, or you may mail your contribution to P.O. Box 9, East Taunton, MA 02718.