Police Dogs Named For Fallen 9/11 Cops ‘Graduate’ At Newark Airport

NEWARK, NJ — The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey recently gave a salute to five newly trained officers, four German Shepherds and a Belgium Malinois during a K-9 “graduation” ceremony at Newark Airport.

The bi-state agency said there are high hopes for the officers and their canines, who were each named after a fallen 9/11 officer.

According to the Port Authority Police Department (PAPD):

“The five newly trained teams of officers and canines successfully completed the PAPD’s 14-week training course for certification in explosives and narcotics detection. The PAPD also trained two members of the Morris County Sheriff’s Department to become a K-9 trainer and K-9 handler. The PAPD’s K-9 unit trains handlers and canines on an as-needed basis.”

The five canine graduates range from 1 to 2 years of age. The four German Shepherds and one Belgium Malinois, along with their human handlers, will patrol various Port Authority facilities in explosive and narcotics detection capacities.

The officers and dogs include:

• Police Officer Kevin Gallagher and 2-year-old German Shepard mix Mag, who was named after Police Officer David LeMagne. LeMagne died on 9/11 while a part of a human chain evacuating the North Tower.
• Police Officer Sean Lynch and 1-year-old German Shepard mix Bruce, who was named after Police Officer Bruce Reynolds. Reynolds died on 9/11 performing rescue efforts for the South Tower.
• Police Officer Gary Zintl and 1-year-old German Shepard mix Mimmo, who was named after Police Officer Dominick Pezzulo. Pezzulo died on 9/11 after freeing his two colleagues from fallen debris.
• Police Officer Kirk Kouzis and 2-year-old German Shepard Stuey, who was named after Police Officer Walwyn Stuart. Stuart died on 9/11 performing rescue efforts for the North Tower.
• Police Officer John Adams and 2-year-old Belgium Malinois Amo, who was named after Police Officer Christopher Amoroso. Amoroso died on 9/11 after leading several people to safety from the lower levels of the North Tower.

According to the Port Authority, its K-9 unit was created in 1984. The agency began training detection canines in 1993, after the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Since the start of the agency’s training program, 128 teams have been trained in either explosive or narcotic detection for the specialized unit.

Officials said:

“The narcotic detection canine teams are certified and highly trained canines who respond in a timely matter to Port Authority police operations to reduce the transportation of drugs in the metropolitan area. The highly trained explosive detection canine teams function as a deterrent to terrorism directed towards transportation systems and work collaboratively with federal, state, and local partners. One of the most well-known members of the PAPD K-9 team was K-9 Sirius, who was killed during the 9/11 attack at the World Trade Center.”

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