Groton Police Department Receives Grant for K-9 Police Cruiser Kennel

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Groton Police Department Receives Grant for K-9 Police Cruiser Kennel

GROTON — Police Chief Donald Palma Jr. is pleased to announce that the Groton Police Department has received a $2,100 grant from Massachusetts Vest-A-Dog for the purchase of an essential Police Cruiser Kennel for the K-9 division.

The grant will help fund the purchase of a Ray Allen brand police cruiser kennel, which allows the Groton Police Department to safely and securely transport our K-9 Dog, a 3-year-old purebred Black Labrador Retriever named Lola.

“I am very grateful to Massachusetts Vest-a-Dog for helping provide the Groton Police Department with a vital piece of equipment for our K-9 unit,” Chief Palma said. “Lola is an excellent police dog, on-call 24 hours a day, and we are proud to be able to provide her with the best, safest equipment possible.”

The grant will provide most of the funding for the kennel. The rest of the kennel is funded by additional private donations. The entire GPD K-9 program is funded by the generosity of private donors.

Lola is already a bit of a celebrity in Groton, Last year, whens he was just a rookie, she worked with her partner, K-9 Officer Nick Beltz to locate a woman who had been severely injured in a domestic violence incident, saving her life.

The grant was part of an $18,139 round of funding for K-9 programs in Groton, Belmont, Lunenberg, New Bedford, Plymouth, and for the State Police, Massachusetts Environmental Police, and Middlesex County Sheriff’s Department.

The kennel will be outfitted to a brand new 2014 Ford Police Interceptor, which the Groton Police Department purchased through its normal round of cruiser replacements.

About Massachusetts Vest-A-Dog
Formally a division of the Barnstable Police Association, Massachusetts Vest-A-Dog is an independent, all-volunteer, non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to provide support for Massachusetts Police Dogs: helping provide bulletproof K-9 vests, essential equipment, training, and dogs for police / law enforcement programs throughout Massachusetts.

(Photo by Russ Harris.)

###