In 2017, the Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP) partnered with the Stanton Foundation in an effort to support their new grant program providing funding to law enforcement agencies who have lost law enforcement canines (K-9s) to a line of duty death.

The Stanton Foundation was created by Dr. Frank Stanton, long-time president of CBS, and includes canine welfare as a primary mission. The Foundation has funded several canine programs, including the acquisition and training of K-9s for police departments in Massachusetts. On January 1st, 2017, the Foundation expanded its K-9 grants to departments that lose a K-9 in the line of duty throughout the nation. The Officer Down Memorial Page partnered with the Stanton Foundation in March 2017 to help bring awareness of the availability of this grant program to eligible agencies.

ODMP K-9 and the Stanton Foundation have now announced that the first grants have been awarded and funds disbursed to two agencies that lost K-9s in 2017.

The Crossville (TN) Police Department, which lost K-9 Cain on August 2, 2017, received a grant for a new K-9 officer and the funds to outfit that K-9 with a bulletproof vest.

Another grant for a K-9 bulletproof vest has been awarded to the Crowley (LA) Police Department, which lost K-9 Roscoe on March 22, 2017, but had already obtained a new K-9 before learning of the grant program.

Currently a third grant application is in the approval process for Sunnyvale (CA) Police Department, which lost K-9 Jax on October 31, 2017.

Losing a K-9 officer in the line of duty profoundly affects a handler, a department, and the community in which the K-9 worked. ODMP K-9 is proud to have partnered with the Stanton Foundation to honor those K-9s who have sacrificed their lives to protect their communities and provide assistance to those agencies who have lost a K-9, the organization says.

More information about ODMP and the Stanton Foundation's Fallen K-9 Replacement Grant is available here. Additional details about grant requirements and the application process are available on the Stanton Foundation website.