RNC dog gets bulletproof vest
One of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary's front-line workers is now a little safer on the job.
Two-year-old Edge, the force's newest police dog, has received a $2,800 bullet- and slash-proof vest.
Businessman Jeff Green donated the vest, after hearing about a police dog that was killed in Alberta in 2013 in the line of duty.
The level-two tactical vest, which offers the same protection as police officer vests, is fitted for the dog's size and shape. It's used for tracking, repelling, and extracting the dog from small spaces.
Const. Kevin Morgan, Edge's handler, said the piece of equipment provides him with peace of mind.
"Normally when we start chasing these guys, it's just me and him, and it is quite often all hours of the night, and quite often, you're in the bush by yourself, just you and your dog," he said.
"He is my protection, and I am his. Now, I have a vest to also protect him if he's out front. He's normally finding the bad guy before I do, and now I know at least he has some protection."
Morgan said they encounter some pretty dangerous situations while out on the job.
"It's up to me as a handler then to make a decision whether to deploy him or if I'm going to wait that extra second and not deploy him. I'm not going to send a dog into a losing battle that I know he can't win. I'm not going to send him at somebody that I can see is physically armed with a weapon, a knife, gun, or what have you," he said.
"Now, depending on the cover we have and the timing we have, the positioning we have, if it's absolutely required to deploy him, well now I feel I can, because he has that extra bit of protection... that can potentially save his life."
Three other RNC dogs have already been fitted with safety vests.
