On Tuesday, at the NYPD Police Academy in College Point, Queens, 17 new canine units graduated from training. They are the first K9 class to graduate from the facility, and they were all excited to actually cross the stage with their handlers and collect their new badges.
The dogs all hold various proficiency certifications from New York State, the Department of Defense, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, and the United States Army. They are mostly trained for counterterrorism measures, in particular explosives. It took nearly 16 weeks to get them ready for service.
Fifteen dogs (and their human counterparts) will now be patrolling New York City’s subways as transit cops. The remaining two K9 units are for a partner agency, the CSX Police.
Included in the group is a sergeant, “Shaunie.” She is the group leader, as her handler is also a sergeant, so she gets a special gold shield:
She, like the other dogs, is named after a fallen police officer. In this case, Officer Shaun Mahoney, who succumbed to a 9/11-related illness in December 2014. Twelve of the dogs are named for cops who died in the line of duty. Naming your dog partner after a departed officer is a tradition with the K9 Transit Division:
“We would like to thank the families of these officers for allowing us this great honor,” said Sgt. Randy Brenner of the Transit Bureau’s canine unit. “When someone asks us our canine’s name, we will respond with the story of the person. We will respond with pride and loyalty that can only be exhibited by a police canine.”
You can check out more photos at the NYPD’s Facebook page.
Congrats, pups!