The 2016 Aftermath K9 Grant: the Race for Top Dog Continues

The 5th Annual Aftermath K9 Grant is already underway, but it’s not too late to cast your vote! Vote every day through the month of October and you could help your local law enforcement agency win $5000 toward the creation or upkeep of a K9 Unit. 

The 2016 K9 Grant voting form is located here. To read the contest’s official rules, visit the official rules page.

This Week’s Top Dogs

In our book, every K9 Officer is top dog. However, there can only be a single winner in our yearly K9 Grant competition. Each Friday, we tally up the current votes to see who is putting their best paw forward. This week’s Top 15 vote getters include (in no particular order):

Pekin Police Department (IL), Winthrop Harbor Police Department (IL), Matteson Police Department (IL), Johnson City Village Police Department (NY), Longmont Police Department, Almogordo Police Department, Greece Police Department (NY), Sheboygan Police Department (WI), Willmar Police Department (MN) Wausau Police Department, Antioch Police Department (IL), Lake County Sheriffs Office (IL), Larksville Boro City Police Department (PA), Aurora Police Department (IL), Mundelein Police Department (IL)

If your department’s name isn’t on the list, don’t give up yet! There’s still plenty of time to promote and vote for your favorite K9.  If you need some help spreading the word, our helpful PDF has plenty of suggestions to help get your local department into the winner’s circle!

Media is Key

We’ve been hearing (and seeing!) a lot of great buzz about the K9 Grant this year. Many of you have been posting, tagging, and sharing the contest on social media, urging others to vote. If you’re campaigning for your local PD, be sure to link with us by using the #k9grant hashtag and include the voting website in your posts!

A few voters have taken it a step further and turned to local press and traditional media outlets to get their message out. This week, the Times Leader News in Pennsylvania gave the Larksville Police Department and K9 Officer Una some press. Meanwhile, the Wausau Police Department in Wisconsin came up with a unique image to encourage their community and Twitter followers to cast their votes. Check out the Wausau Police Department Instagram account, or follow WPD on Twitter to see their creative efforts.

Both of these departments are in this week’s top 15, proving that a little effort can go a long way. If you see any news stories or features about the K9 Grant in your area, please send us a Tweet or message on Facebook and tell us about it! We may just mention it in a future posting.

Spotlight on K9s

Still wondering what all the hype is about? The video below gives viewers an inside look at all the hard work that goes into a working K9 Unit. The clip features the 2015 Aftermath K9 Grant winners, our friends at the Lake County Sheriff’s Office in Illinois. If you haven’t seen Duke, Dax, and Diesel in action, be sure to check them out.

Stay Current With Aftermath

The 2016 Aftermath K9 Grant runs until October 31st, 2016. Be sure to stop by the website every day to cast your vote for your favorite PD or other law enforcement agency. If you are a member of law enforcement and wish to learn more about our services and programs such as PPE training, check out this webpage for more information. Officers and other LE professionals can also request free promotional material for use in their communities by using our free Marketing Material Request form.

As always, if you are in need of immediate biohazard cleanup or have questions about our services, please call us nationwide anytime 24/7 at 888-872-4339.