They’re on pup patrol — for victims of 9/11.
The NYPD has named police dogs in honor of 9/11 victims — and those who died in the years following the terrorist attacks from related illlnesses, according to a new video.
One of the dogs in the video is Moira Ann, named for NYPD Officer Moira Smith, who was killed helping guide people out of the south tower on 9/11 and was the only female police officer to die in the attacks.
The 1-year-old black Lab’s handler, Officer Serhan Cambudak, met the slain officer’s husband, a retired police officer, and daughter for the first time at a Madison Square Garden event Thursday night.
The family asked him questions about the pooch named after their loved one.
“They were curious about the dog,” Cambudak said. “She has a lot of energy. She’s very curious. She’s definitely eager to learn and very smart.”
The explosives detection pup is seen in the new video wearing a pink collar and walking near the Unisphere in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens.
Cambudak, who joined the force in 2006, called it “a very big honor” to be Moira Ann’s handler.
The canine, who lives with him and his wife in Long Island, can work anywhere but is usually in Manhattan.
“We go to concerts, sporting events, any events where there are going to be a high influx of people,” the officer said. “So it could be anywhere from Times Square to any stadium or sporting event.”
He and Moira Ann were working at the World Trade Center 25th anniversary memorial on Friday, where they ran into the family again, he said.
“They were just happy we were there,” he said.
Other K9’s in the new video include:
- K-9 Curt, who was named for NYPD Sgt. Michael Curtin, an Emergency Service Unit (ESU) officer killed during the attacks.
- K-9 Brophy, who is named for Officer Thomas Gerard Brophy, who worked in the 109th Precinct in Queens and died from a 9/11-related illness.
- K9 Ragnar, who is named in honor of Lt. William Wanser III, who died from cancer tied to Ground Zero.
- K-9 Ella, who was named in honor of Assistant Deputy Commissioner Thomas Doepfner, who died of a 9/11 illness.
- K-9 Clark Kent, who was named in honor of Deputy Chief Steven Bonano, who died from blood cancer he contracted while working at the site.
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