Announcing the Winners of the 5th Annual Aftermath K9 Grant

This October, Aftermath went to the dogs…the K9 officers, that is. The 2016 Aftermath K9 Grant Competition wrapped up on Monday, and already we’re drooling with excitement over this year’s winners. So much so that we couldn’t wait a moment longer to share them with you…all 5 of them!

What? 5 awards?

You’ve got that right! In the past, you’ve heard us say that there can only be one Top Dog. But what is a leader without his pack? The votes were so close, right up to the finish line, that this year we decided to award each of the 4 runners up with smaller grants. It’s our way of thanking the officers and their communities for making this year’s competition so exciting for everyone.

With that in mind, we’d like to first announce the winner of the $5000 grand prize award. Drumroll please…

Congratulations to Alamogordo Police Department of New Mexico, winner of the 2016 K9 Grant!

Paws for a Cause

With a population just over 30,000, Alamogordo is the county seat and economic center of Otero County in south-central New Mexico. Last month, the officers and members of this small community banded together to spread word about the Aftermath K9 grant, sharing their story with local news outlets as well as on social media channels like Facebook and Twitter.

Winning the Aftermath K9 Grant means a great deal to the Alamogordo Police Department. Not only does the grant represent a big step toward the creation of the city’s very first K9 unit; it also serves as a memorial to the officer who introduced the concept to the department three years ago. Tragically, Officer Clint Corvinus died in the line of duty last year, but his dream of starting a K9 unit lives on through the K9 Grant and the efforts of the community who voted to support the department.

In a KRQE News article, Deputy Chief Roger Schoolcraft encouraged Alamogordo residents to vote in the Aftermath K9 Grant competition and help make Officer Corvinus’ dream a reality. Clearly, their efforts paid off. Congratulations, Alamogordo PD! Aftermath is honored to be a part of this great undertaking!

Leaders of the Pack

The competition for this year’s grand prize was intense. We counted thousands of votes for departments all across the US. However, what made it so exciting was how close in votes the nominees were. In the last week of the competition, we narrowed down the “Top Dogs” from 15 departments to just 5. In addition to voting every day, voters could check their department’s ranking on the registration page, up until three days before the contest ended. At that point, the votes were so tight that we decided to increase the anticipation. Voters had their last sneak peek at the top 5 at 4PM CST on Friday.

And now, we’re pleased to announce the four runners up in this year’s K9 Grant competition. Our second place winner will receive a $1000 award, and the other top 3 departments will each get a $500 award for their efforts, and for helping make this year’s event our biggest and most exciting one yet!

Wave your paws in the air! Our Second Place Winner is the Pekin Police Department of Pekin, IL!

The rest of the Top 5 Winners are:

Johnson City Village PD of Johnson City, NY

Larksville Boro PD of Larksville, PA

Matteson PD of Matteson, IL

Congratulations to all 5 of our winners! You truly are the leaders of the pack.

A Word of Gratitude

Finally, we would like to thank all the departments and the communities who participated in this year’s K9 grant award. You put your best paws forward every day, and Aftermath proudly supports your hard work and dedication. Keep an eye on our blog for updates from the K9 grant winners, as well as other news, contests, and giveaways. This year’s competition just ended and already we’re looking forward to doing it again next year. Hope to see one of you in the winner’s circle in 2017!