Sharon K9 officer to receive bulletproof vest from community

SHARON, Pa. - With tears, and a casket draped in a flag, a funeral scene is one Sharon Police Officer Ken Guthrie hopes to avoid with his new K9 officer.
"I don't leave the station without a vest, he shouldn't have to either," said Guthrie.
And there's a good chance will avoid it, knowing his new K9 officer will have a bulletproof vest of his own.
"(I'm) absolutely ecstatic. As of the middle of February there had already been 8 police k9's killed across the country most of which were not afforded the opportunity to have a stab resistant or bulletproof vest," said Guthrie.
And while the department can't afford to buy one-year-old Chester a vest,
the community held a fundraiser at Learning dog Training & Enrichment Center to make sure the new police pup is protected.
"These guys go out protecting the officers protecting the community and they should have the full protection to keep them safe," said co-owner of the Learning Dog Training & Enrichment Center in Hubbard Jenny Falvey.
A bulletproof vest can cost more than 25 hundred dollars.
"They're very expensive and it's a lot for the officers to have to pay for that so we wanted to do something for the community raise money and hopefully get them what they need," said Falvey.
And through raffles, food sales and even massages, the community hopes to raise enough money for Chester who is set to meet his new owner soon.
"He's supposedly every bit as excited as I am," said Guthrie.
And any extra proceeds won't go to waste.
The group plans to donate additional funds to another local K9 in need of a vest too.