MARIA YOUNG / TIMES PHOTO
Crime fighting can be a ruff job for the Philadelphia Police Department’s 23 patrol- and scent-trained K-9 Unit dogs, but duty became a lot safer last week when a local philanthropist donated $22,000 to outfit the animals with body armor.
Police Commissioner Richard Ross and members of the Northeast-based K-9 Unit debuted the new bulletproof doggie vests outside the Roundhouse at Eighth and Race streets on June 8. They presented donor Joanne Berwind with a massive plaque engraved with the names of all of the K-9s and their police handlers.
“The Philadelphia Police Foundation is grateful to Joanne Berwind for her generosity and concern for the safety of the K-9 Unit’s four-footed police officers,” said Maureen Rush, board president for the Philadelphia Police Foundation.
The nonprofit foundation subsidizes supplementary equipment for Philadelphia police that’s not included in the city’s operating budget. Rush, a retired Philadelphia police officer, is vice president for public safety of the University of Pennsylvania and superintendent of the university’s private police force. In the past, the foundation has also bought motorcycles for the police department’s Highway Unit and equipment for the officers and horses of the Mounted Unit.
Berwind is a member of one of the Philadelphia area’s most prominent families. Her late husband, Charles Graham Berwind Jr., was a Berwind-White Coal Mining Company heir and former chairman and chief executive of the family-held Berwind Group investment management firm.
Joanne Berwind is an animal advocate and operates a rescue in Newtown Square, among many other charitable activities. She said she was inspired to make the donation after seeing news reports of police dogs who were killed in the line of duty. Ross noted that the contributions of police dogs have long gone unnoticed by the public.
“They go unheralded in many instances,” Ross said. “These K-9s are hard-working, loyal and would give their lives for the department.”
Capt. Mark Everitt, a former commander of the 7th and 15th Police Districts in the Northeast, now heads the K-9 and Mounted Units. He said that the department has 27 dogs in service who each specialize in one of three disciplines — drug detection, explosive detection or cadaver detection. Most of the animals are German shepherds. Their training takes eight weeks, after which the dogs become family pets for their handlers — in addition to working regular police shifts.
There are at least two police dogs on patrol with their handlers around the clock. Four of the dogs do not have patrol duties, so they do not need vests. Each of the vests was custom fitted. In the past, K-9s had to share their vests. This is the first time in many years that each dog will have his own. The vests have a five-year service life.
The K-9s have many practical uses in narcotics, terrorism, missing persons and homicide investigations. Rush noted that they will have a busy summer with the Democratic National Convention coming to the city in July.
For information about the Philadelphia Police Foundation, visit www.phillypolicefoundation.org. ••
MARIA YOUNG / TIMES PHOTO
Dog days of summer: Police Officer Matt Mocharnuk walks his K-9, who is equipped with one of the new bulletproof doggie vests donated by Joanne Berwind. In the past, Philadelphia Police Department’s K-9 Unit dogs had to share vests. This is the first time in many years that each dog will have his own. MARIA YOUNG / TIMES PHOTOS
