Nearly two dozen newly minted NYPD K9s graduated Friday from an elite, four-month training program — including a lovable bloodhound who’s set to sniff-out missing people.
The 21 ruff-and-tough rookies, along with their handlers, are ready to take a bite out of crime after learning everything from how to collar bad guys to finding cadavers and bombs.
The canine cops — who will serve in the NYPD’s elite ESU unit — included Vin, an adorable 1-year-old bloodhound with a “goofball” personality, named after fallen officer Vincent Danz.
“It’s so funny, the dog is perfect, just because Vin was like just this — a happy-go-lucky goofball, you know, very good at his job, took it very seriously,” Vincent Danz’s widow, Angela, 59, said at the graduation ceremony at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn. “He was an incredibly kind human being. He was a cop for 14 years, and he still had empathy and compassion, and he was, he was a remarkable guy,” she said.
The loyal pup was named in honor of Danz, who died while rescuing people from the World Trade Center during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
“He tracks people. He helps us out with the missing across the city,” said his handler, Officer Christopher Alvarez. Other four-legged recruits include McDonald, a gregarious 4-year-old Dutch Shepherd trained to find cadavers, and named after the late NYPD Det. Steve McDonald.
“He loves people, just like Steve McDonald. He’s loving, caring, and that’s why we carry on his legacy every day,” said the dog’s handler, Detective Joseph Brayuha.
“He’s trained in control with his criminal apprehension, tracking for missing people, evidence recovery, and his second purpose is cadaver,” he said. Officer McDonald was paralyzed after being shot on duty in Central Park in 1986 and later died of complications, according to the NYPD, which has a tradition ofOther furry grads included Hansen, a Belgian Malinois specializing in bomb tracking, and Russ, a Belgian Malinois trained to find people trapped in collapsed structures.
In total, 18 new NYPD handlers also graduated from the program Friday. Commissioner Jessica Tisch praised the teamwork between the hardworking pooches and their two-legged partners.
“That training is not just technical, it’s personal. A handler and a canine partner have to trust each other completely. That trust is built over time through long hours, mistakes, corrections, and the steady discipline that this work demands,” she said at the ceremony Friday.
“Today, you are joining one of the most respected traditions in the New York City Police Department. ”
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