They are one of the NYPD’s most important weapons in fighting terrorism. They’re an invaluable tool in fighting crime in the subways – and have recently moved to the heart of the Western Queens community.
K-9 Dan, a German Shepherd named for a police officer killed in the World Trade Center attacks, is one of 36 members of the NYPD K-9 Unit to recently settle at a Transit Police facility at 33rd Street and Northern Boulevard in Long Island City.
The unit moved to Long Island City from Downtown Brooklyn because the neighborhood sits at the center of the city transit system, MTA officials said.
MTA president Thomas Prendergast said the move allows Transit Police officials to deploy personnel and the K-9 teams “in the most efficient methods” when and where they are needed throughout the five boroughs.
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly joined NYPD Transit Bureau Chief Joe Fox, Patrol Borough Queens North Commander Diane Pizzuti, local lawmakers and community leaders at an April 17 ceremony celebrating the new home of the K-9 Unit.
Kelly called the K-9 Unit an “indispensable tool for fighting terror in New York City”.
The city’s top cop said the dogs are trained differently than other NYPD canines, because they work under unusual conditions, underground with large numbers of people.
Dogs assigned to the K-9 Unit put on a show of their own at the opening ceremony, showing off skills they have developed to assist their human partners in the city’s war against crime.
