The Storm Through Anything™ Story
In 1996, Winnipeg Police Canine Handler Jim Slater and his Police Service Dog, Olaf, received a call in the middle of the night.
At Headingley Jail, the entire prison security system had been compromised and over 200 inmates were loose and rioting. The place was overrun and in flames; corrections officers had been savagely beaten and one was missing and presumed dead.
Without getting the place under control immediately, more people would surely be mutilated or killed. As a joint member of the RCMP Emergency Response Team (ERT), Slater was called to help get the prison under control with the rest of the ERT Team.
Slater and Olaf rushed to the jail where the ERT Team was ultimately sent in to restore order. Slater and Olaf assumed their position at the front of the ERT Stack. They were going to be the first to enter the prison to systematically clear the cell blocks.
As they prepared to breach the entrance, Slater took one brief glance back at his teammates who would be entering the jail with him. The team was hardly recognizable.
Heavily armored from head to toe, carrying ballistic shields, batons, and close combat assault weapons, they were prepared for the unknown.
Slater then looked back to his partner. In contrast, standing patiently waiting for his next command was Olaf with nothing more than a flat collar on; Slater felt sick. He knew the immense danger they were about to encounter…Olaf had no idea what was coming next.
At that moment, Slater made a deal with God: if he and Olaf were to make it out in one piece, Olaf would never work again without the same protection Slater had.
With this final thought now ingrained in Slater’s mind, his team got into position. In a blur, Slater and Olaf were the first to storm through the door, and they went to work…
The entire event would last over 24 hours; however, ERT finally got the jail back under control. The violence seen by everyone was immense and unprecedented. During the offensive, both Slater and Olaf were electrocuted as they stepped on live wires submerged in water on a cell block annex floor, briefly deterring them from the mission.
Subsequent to a multitude of direct contact apprehensions, they left the jail exhausted, covered in blood, but thankful to be alive.
With that, Slater set out to fulfill his deal with the Lord and make Olaf the protection he needed to do his job, and come home safely.
It took one year and countless failed attempts to get it right. In 1997, using nothing more than one of his own ballistic vests and his mother’s home sewing machine, Slater successfully developed the first working vest for Olaf. It wasn’t pretty, but it got the job done.
Slater knew from his work experience that Olaf would be more than strong enough to handle the weight of a vest; however, if it didn’t fit properly, no matter what he tried, Olaf would resist working in it. Having a custom-fit vest was, and still is, the most crucial component to having a successful and safe working dog.
In his new vest, Olaf was now working 24/7. It didn’t matter the call — tracking, searching, apprehending — if it meant Olaf was involved, he was working in his vest. People started to notice. Slater and Olaf were involved in so many high-profile cases around the city, that eventually a local news reporter snapped a photo of the duo. The photo was then picked up by the Canadian Press, and Slater and Olaf went “viral”.
Soon, other K9 Handlers started calling Slater at his police station. They felt the same way as Slater did and wanted to know if they could have vests made to protect their dogs.
Slater originally said no. What did he know about making body armor? He had zero manufacturing experience, zero business background, and zero idea how he would even get started.
But as the calls kept coming, the growing need was undeniable. His friends’ dogs were encountering dangerous criminals, too. They were just as vulnerable as Olaf was that horrific night at Headingley Jail with nobody willing to help them.
What started as one man’s need to protect his own police dog with a custom-fit ballistic vest, slowly turned into a mission to help protect as many dogs as possible. With the help of his wife, Glori, in 1998, K9 Storm Incorporated was officially founded. The unique vest design was patented in both Canada and the United States of America and production began.
Fast-forward over 20 years later and Slater still runs the company with Glori, their two sons, Jeff and Riley, and their daughters-in-law, Meghan and Jessica.
Olaf ended his successful career with over 285 captures. The last 100 were ALL in his original K9 Storm Patrol Swat Vest. He retired and lived out a peaceful life at the Slater’s home until his passing in 2004.
Lastly, you may be thinking…why K9 Storm and not K9 Olaf?
It’s a humble reminder of that life-altering riot where an ordinary cop and his faithful dog decided to Storm Through Anything™.
I guarantee you have the same Storm Through Anything™ mentality inside of you, too.
You wouldn’t have read this far if you didn’t.