John Guilfoil Public Relations LLC

PR for Police, Fire, Schools and Municipal Government

by

For immediate release

Essex County Sheriff’s Department
Frank G. Cousins Jr., Sheriff
20 Manning Avenue
Middleton, MA 01949

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 978-971-8101
Email: [email protected]

Essex County Sheriff Frank Cousins Jr. Presents Massachusetts Vest-a-Dog with Service Plaque

Sheriff Frank Cousins presented a thank you plaque to Kathy Hinds, President of Vest-a-Dog, for the organization's continued support over the years. Left to right: Sgt. Stephen Pomerleau and K-9 Dakota, Sheriff Cousins, Kathy Hinds, Lt. John Pickles and K-9 Ivan, Michele Perrine, Vest-a-Dog board member and lead volunteer, and Sgt. John Zaccari and K-9 Tyson. (Courtesy Photo)
Sheriff Frank Cousins presented a thank you plaque to Kathy Hinds, Massachusetts President of Vest-a-Dog, for the organization’s continued support over the years. Left to right: Sgt. Stephen Pomerleau and K-9 Dakota, Sheriff Cousins, Kathy Hinds, Lt. John Pickles and K-9 Ivan, Michele Perrine, Massachusetts Vest-a-Dog board member and lead volunteer, and Sgt. John Zaccari and K-9 Tyson. (Courtesy Photo)

MIDDLETON — Essex County Sheriff Frank G. Cousins Jr. is pleased to announce that he presented a thank you plaque to Massachusetts Vest-a-Dog for their continued support over the last four years.

On Oct. 7, Sheriff Cousins gave the plaque to to Kathy Hinds, President of Massachusetts Vest-a-Dog, during a small ceremony at the Sheriff’s Department. There, he thanked Hinds and the organization for assisting the Sheriff’s Department with their K-9 program throughout his term in office.

The Essex County Sheriff’s Department has received seven grants since 2012, totaling $14,608, from Massachusetts Vest-a-Dog, a nonprofit organization that supports police dogs by providing funding for departments to obtain dogs, training and equipment.

Utilizing the grant funding, the Sheriff’s Department has purchased three German Shepherds, two bite suits, three bite sleeves, tactical training equipment, two sets of dutch boxes used for narcotics detection training, and a variety of supplies, like muzzles, harnesses, collars and scratch pants.

Since 2000, the department has also received 42 ballistic vests (worth more than $40,000), as well as 17 K-9 first aid kits ($3,400).

Combined with the seven grant awards, the Essex County Sheriff’s Department has received more than $57,000 for its K-9 program.

“Massachusetts Vest-a-Dog has been an asset to this department throughout my term in office. I am extremely grateful to Kathy Hinds and the entire organization,” Sheriff Cousins said. “The grant funding has allowed us to ensure our K-9 units receive the most up-to-date training and resources to protect the residents of Essex County.”

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