Sign up for one of our email newsletters.
Updated 1 hour ago
The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation has awarded eight police departments in the Pittsburgh region with $76,000 in grants for their K-9 programs, the foundation announced Wednesday.
In the final round of grants for the Steelers' 2016-17 season, the foundation awarded grants to police departments in Arnold, Castle Shannon, Findlay, Ligonier Township, Mt. Oliver Borough, Penn Hills, West Mifflin and Wheeling.
The grants, which are open to applicants from police and fire departments in communities around Pittsburgh and the cities the Steelers visit throughout the football season, can pay for purchasing and training dogs, vehicles for their handlers and equipment for safety or training.
Mt. Oliver and Penn Hills will use their grants to put new K-9 officers into service.
Ligonier police Sgt. James Friscarella said in a statement that his department would use its share of the grant to purchase equipment for K-9 officer Kilo, in memory of former Lt. Eric Eslary, killed by a drunken driver in 2015. Another Roethlisberger Foundation grant had paid for Eslary's K-9 partner, Blek.
The foundation has given more than $1.7 milion in the past 10 years, including $150,000 to K-9 programs this season.
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.
