LOVELAND, Colo. (July 1, 2016) – In an effort to support those who protect us, the Medical Executive Committee at McKee Medical Center is pleased to announce the purchase of a Kevlar vest for K-9 Monte of the Loveland Police Department. The vest will be given to K-9 Monte in memory of fallen Colorado State Patrol Trooper Jaimie Jursevics, whose life was cut short by a drunken driver last November.
The event will take place Tuesday, July 5, at 2 p.m. in the Conference and Wellness Center at McKee Medical Center, 2000 Boise Avenue. Along with Monte and representatives of the Loveland Police Department, members of the Medical Executive Committee, McKee Medical Center and Colorado State Patrol will also be in attendance.
“McKee Medical Center has enjoyed a strong relationship with the Loveland Police Department for many years,” said Sam Shelanski, MD, a member of the hospital’s Medical Executive Committee and an oncologist in the McKee Cancer Center. “When we learned that K9 Monte needed a Kevlar vest, we saw it as an opportunity to give back to the department. They do so much for the Loveland community and we’re honored to be able to help.”
The vest is provided by Keeping K-9s in Kevlar, a Washington-based nonprofit organization that raises money for Kevlar vests custom fit for working dogs used by law enforcement agencies and military organizations. Each vest is made of bullet and knife-resistant Kevlar and carries an embroidered patch in memory of a fallen officer. Loveland police asked to honor Jursevics.
Earlier this year, the Loveland Police Department was selected to participate in a Facebook contest coordinated by Keeping K-9s in Kevlar. The organization was going to provide a vest to the top five “liked” K-9 teams. The McKee Medical Executive Committee offered to buy the $2,538 vest.“
This generous donation by the McKee Medical Executive Committee is very much appreciated and speaks to the positive relations within our public safety community,” said Loveland Police Chief Robert L. Ticer. “To honor Trooper Jursevics through the medical center and our K-9 program is personal to me, as I knew her when she worked in Troop 4C and miss her.”
Currently, the Loveland Police Department has four dual-purpose K-9 teams and K-9 Monte, being one of two new members to the unit, was the only dog without protective body armor. On average the K-9 teams deploy 400 to 600 times a year, and in 2015, the unit conducted 343 deployments despite being down two teams.
Additionally, once K-9 Monte received training last year, he and his handler, officer Stephen Marchio, completed 170 deployments that resulted in a significant number of narcotics detections and the
location of fugitives.
About McKee Medical Center
McKee Medical Center, opened in 1976, is a fully accredited, private nonprofit facility in Loveland, Colo. McKee is owned by Banner Health, a nonprofit healthcare system with 29 hospitals in seven states. It offers emergency care, cancer care, heart care, orthopedics, inpatient and outpatient surgery, obstetrics, pediatrics, rehabilitation, intensive care, lab services and medical imaging.