Every officer at the Bristol County Sheriff’s office should be safe on the job, as Will, Sharpy, and Jerry, three K9 officers, have received new bullet and stab resistant vests.

Will’s human partner, Officer Kenny Almeida, said he thinks of Will as his third child.

“I want him to be as safe as possible,” Almeida said.

The vests are fairly lightweight and don’t restrict the dogs’ movements. The officers can put the vests on their canine companions in seconds. The vests have the same ballistic rating as those worn by human officers.

The Sheriff’s Office K9 team assists law enforcement in the towns in Bristol County and surrounding communities. The K9 officers are trained to assist with searches and tracking, crowd control, building and article searches, and car stops.

The funds for the vests were donated by Dr. David and Jane Askew of Dartmouth Dental, and Michael Panagakos of Panagakos Development.