Police Dogs Get Protective Vests

Thanks to the concern of some dog lovers, police dogs in Lodi now can wear protective vests that are bullet and stab resistant.

The new safety equipment comes courtesy of WestAmerica Bank. Christa Steele, vice president of the bank’s Stockton branch, got the idea from a friend and neighbor who belongs to the Central Valley Top Dog Club. The club raised money and purchased two $659 Kevlar vests for Lathrop police dogs, and Steele decided to offer the same body protection for Lodi’s police dogs.

Steele’s husband is a California Highway Patrol officer, and her family’s pets have always been retired police dogs.