PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — One of SEPTA's four-legged transit cops has received some potentially life-saving equipment.
Swen, a 3-year-old Dutch shepherd, sat obediently at SEPTA headquarters Wednesday as his partner, transit police officer Jennifer Dellavecchio, strapped him into a new bulletproof and stab-protective vest.
SEPTA Chief of Transit Police Charles Lawson says the department's K-9s help to connect with the community in a way that human officers can't — and that can also put them in harm's way.
"We get our dogs out on the system riding trains. They're around the public all day long. And they're engaging in the same enforcement activity that our officers engage in,” he said.
"Danger, problems can erupt at any time. Obviously we want to keep these animals safe.”
Lawson says Swen, whose job is bomb detection, is the second of SEPTA's 13 K-9s to receive the donation of a vest. The $1,400 piece of protective gear comes courtesy of a Massachusetts-based nonprofit called Vested Interest in K-9s.
"The vest is not a normal piece of equipment that we pay for. So it's really important that we find sponsors willing to help us cover that cost."
Since 2009, Vested Interest has provided nearly 5,400 vests to K-9 officers across the country.