The NYPD’s four-legged crime-fighters are being celebrated front and center in a special 2024 calendar.
The New York City Police Foundation has rolled out their 2024 calendar featuring photos of the NYPD’s equine and canine members who play a vital role in keeping both the public and human law enforcement officers safe.
From saving children who have fled their parents to pawing through the rubble of the Dec. 11 Bronx building collapse, animals play a vital role in the NYPD’s day-to-day operations, explained Taylor Kahn, director of development and events for the New York City Police Foundation.
“Some of them are search and rescue. Some of them are explosive detection. Some of them are firearm detection. So, they’re providing real crime fighting support to the officers,” Kahn said. “You see the horses, it starts up a conversation. So, they have a job to do, but they’re also ambassadors to all the visitors and people who come to New York City for this wonderful experience.”
In addition to the animals who sniff illegal substances and explosive threats, the NYPD also boasts a therapy dog unit which visits injured cops in hospitals and sick loved ones, in an attempt to provide mental health resources to cops who deal with some of the city’s darkest crimes.
“It’s a very stressful job and, you know, mental health is a priority in the NYPD and really all around the city. So, having these three therapy dogs, Jenny Piper, and Glory, to be able to respond to different critical incidents around the city is important,” Inspector Mark Wachter said. “It breaks down the stigma of talking about mental health and that’s really what these dogs do.”
According to the Police Foundation, proceeds garnered from the calendar will be used to fund programs such as the therapy dog unit and the new mobile CrimeStoppers command van recently unveiled. The foundation has a long history of financially supporting imperative police units, including the horses themselves.
When the city cut funding for the Mounted Unit in the 1970s, the Police Foundation fully funded it, ensuring that horses were still able to patrol the city streets.
On Dec. 14, many of the calendar’s stars greeted New Yorkers in Times Square, taking selfies together as tourists bent down to greet the K9 heroes while others smiled brightly petting the very large, mounted unit horses.
For the uniformed officers, the relationship between the furry four-legged partners is an unspoken love and respect that goes beyond human and animal.
“We are with them more than we are with our families — I have never had a bond like I have had with him,” Detective Narvaez said of her partner canine Freddy.
The NYPD Canine and Friends calendar can be purchased online at nycpolicefoundation.org/2024calendar.
