Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office K9 Luma has received a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. The vest was embroidered with the sentiment “In memory of K9 Ty, California City Police Department”.

K9 Luma was purchased with funds from grants and local community partnerships. K9 Luma began working for the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office in April 2018. She is trained in narcotic detection and tracking. K9 Luma is handled by Deputy Michael J Mullins, a 5 year veteran of the agency.

Since April 2018, K9 Luma has assisted in getting several thousands of dollars worth of illegal narcotics off of our streets as well as the seizure of approx $14,000.00 in cash and several firearms.

Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c(3) charity located in East Taunton, MA 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. The non-profit was established in 2009 to assist law enforcement agencies with this potentially lifesaving body armor for their four-legged K9 officers. Since its inception, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provided over 3,100 protective vests in 50 states, through private and corporate donations, at a value of $5.7 million dollars.

The program is open to dogs actively employed in the U.S. with law enforcement or related agencies who are certified and at least 20 months of age. New K9 graduates, as well as K9s with expired vests, are eligible to participate.

The donation to provide one protective vest for a law enforcement K9 is $950.00. Each vest has a value between $1,744 - $2,283, a 5-year warranty and an average weight of 4-5 lbs. There is an estimated 30,000 law enforcement K9s throughout the United States. 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 tax-deductible donations of any denomination at www.vik9s.org  or mailed to P.O. Box 9 East Taunton, MA 02718.