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Melody Godfrey and the staff at COUNTRY Financial in Cordele donated $1,500 to the Crisp County Sheriff’s Office at a check presentation ceremony on Tuesday. The funds will go toward the purchase of body armor for one of the county’s newest deputies.

It’s not your average set of body armor, though, because the new deputy who will wear it is K-9 Deputy Molly. And Deputy Molly is not your average K-9.

Crisp County Sheriff Billy Hancock said that Molly adds a new dimension to the agency’s K-9 unit.

“Most of our dogs have been trained in narcotics and tracking, so now we have a [K-9] who is willing to put her life on the line for an officer. If someone’s in a building and won’t come out, or if we need to go in and get a suspect out from under something or inside something we’re going to be able to send in Molly,” Hancock said.

“Molly’s going to be great,” added CCSO Corporal Kenny Purvis, who is Molly’s handler. “She’s a Dutch Shepherd who’s two years old. We’ve got five more weeks of training left. She’s training in narcotics and patrol, and I think she’s going to be a great asset to the community.”

Godfrey said she and her team at COUNTRY Financial are grateful for the role the community’s law enforcement officers play in our community.

“On behalf of COUNTRY Financial, it’s our honor and our pleasure to thank the men and women of the Crisp County Sheriff’s Office who put lives on the line daily for us,” Godfrey said. “COUNTRY Financial has a wonderful program called, ‘Helping Heroes,’ and today we’d like to help Molly by presenting a check for $1,500 to help go towards the purchase of her life protection vest.”

COUNTRY Financial has provided more than $400,000 in donations to first responders and service members in 2019.