GREAT BEND -Safety is the number one thing law enforcement officers provide and preach to citizens. Part of that safety also involves how they protect themselves from harmful situations.

While officers gear up with protective equipment including body armor, there typically is no gear for the four-legged officers.

The Great Bend Police Department has two police canines that serve as drug dogs and are able to apprehend criminals.

Sergeant Nikki Woodrow with the Wichita Police Department began the Four Legged Project. The project raises money to purchase ballistic vests for canines in Kansas.

“This canine vest costs over one-thousand dollars, so I created a non-profit to help police departments around the state of Kansas get ballistic vests for their departments,” she said.

All the money raised is from private donations and last year we provided over 30 vests.”

In 2012, Woodrow says they began keeping record of canine deaths in the line of duty. Since that time, over 20 police dogs have been killed by gunshot or stabbing.

Four Legged Project donated two body armor vests for Great Bend’s Kia and Lazer. Both dogs reluctantly tried their vests on for the first time this week.

The vests weigh approximately 6 pounds, according to Woodrow. “After a little bit of training the dogs are fine. They don’t wear it all the time because of the weight and officers can get it on and off the dog easily once they begin working with it.”

Four Legged Project began in early 2015 and still has money in its fund. Woodrow says there is no waiting list at the moment so they are just waiting to make more donations to law enforcement agencies across the state.