They’re on patrol — honoring the victims of 9/11.
The NYPD has named police dogs after victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks, as well as people who died in the years afterward from illnesses linked to the attacks, according to a new video.
Among the dogs featured is Moira Ann, named for NYPD Officer Moira Smith. Smith was killed while helping lead people from the South Tower on 9/11 and remains the only female police officer to die in the attacks.
Moira Ann, a 1-year-old black Labrador, is handled by Officer Serhan Cambudak. At a Madison Square Garden event Thursday night, Cambudak met Smith’s husband, a retired police officer, and her daughter for the first time.
The family asked him about the police dog carrying their loved one’s name.
“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.”
In the video, the explosives-detection dog wears a pink collar as she walks near the Unisphere in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens.
Cambudak, who joined the NYPD in 2006, described serving as Moira Ann’s handler as “a very big honor.”
Moira Ann lives with Cambudak and his wife on Long Island. Although she can be assigned anywhere, the canine most often works 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.”
Cambudak and Moira Ann were on duty Friday at the World Trade Center’s 25th anniversary memorial, where they saw Smith’s 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.
