AURORA, Ill. - Nov. 15, 2016 - PRLog -- Aftermath Services LLC announced the recipient of the 2016 Aftermath K9 Grant. This year, $5000 will be granted to the Alamogordo Police Department in Alamogordo, NM. The department received the most votes during the company's 5th annual month-long competition. Alamogordo Police Chief, Daron Syling, stated in an interview that the funds from Aftermath would be used to help build the city's first K9 unit.
Open to law enforcement agencies nationwide, Aftermath's 5th Annual K9 Grant Competition involved over 3,000 law enforcement organizations. Civilians and officers could nominate and vote for their local agency, and the departments were encouraged to get involved by promoting the contest to colleagues, friends, and neighbors. The competition ran from September 30th through October 31st. In total, over 152,000 votes were received – almost triple the number of votes from the previous year. In addition to the $5,000 grant, Aftermath also awarded smaller grants to four runners up, including a second place prize of $1000 to the Pekin Police Department in Pekin, IL. Law enforcement departments in Johnson City, NY, Larksville, PA and Matteson, IL each received a $500 grant.
Alamogordo is a small community of 34,000 people, located in the southern part of New Mexico. Most notably, the city is home to Holloman Air Force Base. Winning the K9 grant is almost bittersweet to Alamogordo PD, as the idea for a K9 unit was first introduced by Officer Clint Corvinus, a four-year veteran of the department. Tragically, Officer Corvinus was killed in the line of duty this September, just weeks before the start of the Aftermath K9 Grant. Following his death, members of the community stepped up and assumed the officer's cause, raising funds to help kickstart the program. After receiving the Aftermath grant this month, the department is now just $1000 shy of reaching their goal.
"Starting a K9 unit is very expensive," Chief Syling stated. "For a bare bones unit, the cost is $25,000 for two K9s. We are hoping to raise $30,000. We're doing all we can to raise the funds – this contest has certainly brought a lot of much-needed attention to our cause."
During an interview with Aftermath, Chief Syling spoke of his gratitude: "We just want to say thank you to Aftermath and to the community. We really went nationwide. People were voting from all over the country. From Florida to California, we felt a lot of love from coast to coast. This is something that we can all be proud of." Representatives of Aftermath will meet with Alamogordo PD later this month to officially present the grant.
About Aftermath Services LLC.
As the nation's largest dedicated trauma cleanup and biohazard remediation company, Aftermath Services LLC proudly recognizes the contributions made by K9 officers and their partners. In an effort to provide law enforcement with access to this valuable resource, Aftermath created the annual K9 grant to help offset the cost of creating or maintaining a K9 program. Each year, law enforcement agencies from around the US are encouraged to participate in the competition by gathering votes through word-of-mouth, social media, and local news outlets. The contest is just one aspect of the Aftermath Cares program, aimed at acknowledging first responders for their ongoing efforts to protect and improve their communities. For more information on trauma cleaning services, or to learn more about the relationship between Aftermath and law enforcement, call 877-872-4339 or visit www.aftermath.com.
Contact
Aftermath Services
Tina Bao
***@aftermath.com
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