Weather 
LA VERNE, Calif. () — Jack wasn’t just a K-9 officer, he was a partner. Three years ago this week, Jack, a Belgium Malinois, was shot and killed by a barricaded suspect in Gardena while serving with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Special Enforcement Bureau.
Deputy Stephen Williams, Jack’s handler, says the dog’s final act of service saved lives.
“Despite the suspect trying to engage us and trying to shoot at us, he stayed through the fight and was able to allow us to protect ourselves,” Williams said.
At the time, Jack wasn’t wearing protective gear. Most protective vests made for K-9s proved to be either too heavy or too cumbersome.
That loss deeply affected Jon Becker, CEO of Aardvark Tactical, a La Verne-based company that builds tactical equipment for first responders. Becker, who spent his career designing gear for human officers, reached out to Williams about creating a new line of vests specifically for K-9s.
“My job up until now has been protecting humans,” Becker said.
What began as a conversation about loss quickly turned into research, design, and development. Becker says the focus was clear from the beginning: create a vest capable of protecting the most vulnerable strike zone, the neck and upper chest.
“Unfortunately, a lot of dogs end up being shot where Jack was shot, which is very high in the chest,” Becker explained. “And that is what started this conversation, is there a way to protect this area?”
A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department K-9 deputy was shot and killed when a barricaded suspect in Gardena opened fire, authorities said.
The urgency behind the project grew a few months later when Williams’ new partner, K-9 Kid, was shot in the line of duty.
“Kid was wearing another company’s vest and was shot… he survived the wound,” Williams said.
From there, development accelerated. Becker and his team spent the next year refining the design with input from real-world feedback from working K-9 units.
“So we worked with about 30 different K-9 units total,” Becker said. “The primary being the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Special Enforcement Bureau, and just little by little, we incremented the vest and changed it.”
Testing included a decoy armed with a marker to simulate strikes. The test showed exactly where the new vest could absorb impact and prevent injury. The final design features a detachable ballistic collar, or yoke, that can be quickly added or removed depending on the risk of the mission.
For Williams, the improvement is more than tactical, it’s personal.
“It’s just like any other partner we have,” he said. “My dog, Jack, gave his life to protect us, and it’s tough to lose a dog.”
The progress also comes as K-9 communities across Southern California mourn the recent death of Burbank Police K-9 Spik,e underscoring the urgency of protective gear for four-legged officers.
“We owe the dogs everything we can to protect them and to keep them as safe as we can,” Becker said.
For Becker and Williams, the vest is more than equipment, it’s a tribute. Jack’s name and end of watch are etched into each vest. His legacy of service and sacrifice is now carried on the shoulders of each K-9 officer that wears the protective gear going forward.
© 2025 Television,
