Recapping the Aftermath K9 Grant: 6 Years of Top Dogs

This October, Aftermath is going to the dogs yet again…the K9 officers, that is! As in the previous year, the 2017 Aftermath K9 Grant Competition will award 5 grants, but this year they are even bigger and better! Over $15,000 in prizes are available to law enforcement agencies nationwide. And all you have to do it vote for your favorite every day until November 11th! Read on to learn more about this exciting event and some of the past winners, and be sure to visit our page every day and VOTE!

Aftermath created the annual K9 grant to help offset the cost of creating or maintaining K9 programs. Each year, law enforcement agencies are encouraged to participate in the competition by gathering votes through word-of-mouth, social media, and local news outlets.

2016 Leader of the Pack, K9 Officer Clint

Aftermath’s 2016 Top Dog award went to the Alamogordo Police Department of New Mexico. For their efforts, the small town department received over 33,000 votes and the grand prize grant of $5000. The funds allowed the community to pay a lasting tribute to Officer Clint Corvinus, who was killed in the line of duty in September. Officer Corvinus spearheaded the initial campaign to acquire a K9 for the department. With the grant and local contributions, that dream was finally realized. 4 other departments also received grants.

“Officer Clint,” also known as Brutus, officially joined the force last December and is featured prominently in this this year’s Aftermath K9 Grant video. He is also the “face” of this year’s grant promotions (see photo above).

Duke, Dax, and Diesel Take the Stage in 2015

2015 was the fourth year for the K9 grant, and it marked many changes to the competition. Additional prizes were added and votes were opened up to the community. It was also the first year the grant’s winners, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office of Illinois, participated. The grant came at a perfect time, too: the agency had recently revamped its K9 program, including three new dogs. Deputy Arrowood and his K9 Partner, Duke, are the senior members of the team. Dax and Diesel joined their partners shortly after, in 2015. The three dogs are skilled in a wide number of areas, including narcotics detection, human scent tracking, article/evidence searches, obedience and handler protection/apprehensions.

As is the case for many departments, funds for the K9 unit come out the department’s yearly budget, which can be extremely limiting.  “Events like these are important because it gives us the chance to demonstrate the value of the K9 unit to the community,” Lake County’s Sargeant McKinney said. “You can’t put a price on saving the life of a child or a suicidal person. And that’s just one part of what these dogs do.”

Aftermath was fortunate to be in attendence when Duke, Dax, and Diesel were officially sworn into service last in 2016. You can check out the video and see then in action on YouTube!

Who will be top dog in 2017?

On January 27, 2014 the Essex County Sheriff’s Department of the greater New Jersey area was awarded their $5000 check as 1st place winners in the 2013 K9 Grant Competition. Previous grants allowed agencies like the Lower Allen Township Police Department in Pennsylvania to purchase and train their first K-9 unit. All told, we’ve helped over a dozen departments achieve their goals and maintain their K9 units. This year, we plan to help 5 more…so help us help them by voting every day until 11/7!

Already in its 6th year, the Aftermath K9 Grant is just one aspect of the Aftermath Cares program, aimed at acknowledging first responders for their ongoing efforts to protect and improve their communities. Like last year, there are 5 grants available, and this year the prizes are even better! Visit our website to learn more about the relationship between Aftermath and law enforcement, or for immediate assistance or questions about our services, please call 877-698-1576.

Don’t forget to place your votes in this year’s K9 Grant Competition. You may vote every day until 11/7/17.