Police, first responders vie for votes in K-9 grant contest

K-9 units in Westmoreland County are among those seeking votes from supporters in a competition for $5,000 grants.

Aftermath, a national company that specializes in bio-hazard remediation, is offering the police dog grants to U.S. law enforcement agencies or first responders who receive the most votes in categories determined by number of personnel and geographic region.

The Latrobe Police Department is among local grant applicants that are encouraging voting, via the contest website or social media.

Voting ends at 12:59 a.m. Wednesday.

The department would use the grant to help support the efforts of its police dog Zeus, and his handler, Officer Robert Derk.

“Because of covid, our program is down about $15,000 over the past 18 months in fundraising,” said Beth Straka, the department’s community service officer. She noted the grant would come in handy for helping with any number of expenses, such as training costs or veterinary bills, or for equipment purchases.

With 14 sworn officers, Latrobe is competing in the Northeast Region division and in the first of four tiers, which includes departments with 40 or fewer sworn officers.

Other area organizations vying for a grant include the Greensburg, Jeannette, Delmont, New Kensington, McKeesport, Charleroi and Swissvale police departments, as well as the Monroeville Volunteer Fire Company.

According to rules posted on the contest website, a person may vote for their favorite department once every 24 hours by visiting aftermath.com/K9Grant and once daily on Instagram (@AftermathK9Grant).

Participants can rack up extra votes if they follow the contest on Instagram (@AftermathK9Grant) and Facebook (@AftermathCares), “like” the daily K-9 Grant post and note who they’re voting for in the comments field.

A total of $25,000 worth of grants is to be awarded, with winners announced on Thursday.