Howland couple donates vests to protect K-9 officers

By Ed Runyan

runyan@vindy.com

NILES

Suzanne and Bill Hunter of Howland wanted to do something in memory of their son, Mark, who died a year ago at age 47.

Suzanne decided that it should involve dogs because the whole family loved dogs, and she narrowed it down to bulletproof vests for police dogs because she had learned that many police dogs are killed in the line of duty.

This week at the Niles Police Department, the Hunters presented the vests to officers with the Niles and Campbell police departments.

Because the Howland Police Department did not have a police dog, Suzanne Hunter contacted Sgt. Sherrey McMahon of the Warren Police Department, who said Warren’s canine officer, Duco, already has a bulletproof vest, but the dogs in Niles and Campbell needed one.

“I knew they were expensive, and a lot of departments can’t afford them,” Suzanne Hunter said of the vests, which cost about $1,000 each.

Todd Mobley, an officer with the Niles Police Department who works with canine officer Pino, said the donation was most welcome.

The department will use Pino soon in home entries or in situations involving armed suspects, so having armor that will protect him from gunshots or stabbings will make him safer.

Police Chief Rob Hinton noted that police dogs usually are out front in foot pursuits of suspects, and that leaves them more vulnerable to attack than their human counterparts.

It is necessary for the dog to be in front so that the scent of the suspect isn’t contaminated by the scent of the human officers, he noted.

John Gulu, a Campbell officer who works with canine officer Storm, said the money for Storm came from community donations, so it would have been hard to come up with another $1,000 for the vest.

“I’ll use it when we go into houses or buildings,” Gulu said.