4th-grade students vested in K-9 program

Posted by ChaddsFordLive on June 9, 2016

Fourth-graders from Shamona Creek Elementary School were so taken by a recent K-9 demonstration that decided to lend a hand.

Deputy Sheriff Dan Mccole, K-9 Nero, Deputy Sheriff Mike Sarro, Sheriff Carolyn 'Bunny' Welsh, Shamona Creek fourth-grade teacher Cathy Tomlinson, Shamona Creek Principal Norma Jean Welsh, Downingtown Area School District Superintendent Lawrence Mussoline, and Deputy Sheriff Harry McKinney gather for the check presentation.

Chester County Sheriff Carolyn “Bunny” Welsh and some of her K-9 deputies visited the school recently to receive a special gift from the students. More than $625 was raised by the children to purchase a Kevlar vest for the Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit.

“Sheriff Welsh and her deputies visited our fourth-grade classes last month, providing demonstrations of the K-9 Unit capabilities,” Shamona Creek Principal Norma Jean Welsh said in a press release from the Sheriff’s Office. “The students were so impressed by this experience that they decided to show their appreciation in a very special way, raising funds for the vest.”

This year marks the 10^th anniversary of the establishment of K-9 teams in the Chester County Sheriff’s Office. The unit now has six handlers and eight canines that specialize in explosives, narcotics, accelerants and cadaver. A recent addition to the team is a comfort canine used primarily in the Special Victims Unit.

“The deputies and I were thrilled to visit Shamona Creek, to demonstrate the work that the K-9 unit is called to do,” Welsh said in the release. “It is important for students to see these incredible animals close up, to understand and appreciate the way in which they support community safety.

“We were so pleased that the students wanted to show their appreciation for our visit in such a meaningful way,” Welsh continued. “The donations of funds for a Kevlar vest will help to protect our K-9s as they undertake law enforcement work.”