The Dartmouth Police Department K9 division is hoping the public will help them win a grant to bolster their division.

The K9 department is competing for a $5,000 award from the Aftermath K9 grant program. The grant will supplement funding for the canine department, said police spokesperson Det. Kyle Costa.

The department has three four-legged officers that are used for a variety of purposes, including explosive and drug detection and searches for missing individuals, Costa said.

The dogs “have been extremely beneficial to us over the years,’’ Costa said. “They’re one of the most valuable assets in the department.’’ 

There’s two ways the public can vote. 

Community members can go to https://www.aftermath.com/2021-northeast-k9-voting/ and search for the Dartmouth Police Department and vote at https://www.aftermath.com/2021-northeast-k9-voting/.

They can also use the following hyperlink to go directly to the voting section: https://m.lndg.page/Nd2LN?sre=EpoDWpi350Dxg.

Participants can vote every 24 hours until 11:59 p.m. Oct. 26.

Extra votes can also be earned by following Aftermath on Instagram @AftermathK9Grant and Facebook @AftermathCares. Once there, residents can like the daily K9 Grant post and indicate that they want the Dartmouth Police Department to win.