VIDEO: New Canine Trooper Joins State Police in Tarrytown

New York State Police held a graduation ceremony Thursday for canine troopers that successfully completed a stint at the academy with their handlers, and one pair will be stationed at Troop T in Tarrytown.

Trooper Glen Williams is teamed up with Canine Trooper Bunner at the the Tarrytown facility, which oversees thruway patrols. Canine Bunner, and explosives dog, is named for Trooper Stanley A. Bunner. Trooper Bunner was killed in 1965 in a squad car accident.

All New York State Police canine troopers are named for fallen members of the force.

“He’s a great dog,” Williams said in an interview (see the YouTube video below). ”He detects well, he tracks very well, and hopefully I can put his skills to use.”

Williams said he initially applied for the canine unit in 2009 but was not accepted. Family commitments kept him from applying again until this year when he was accepted.

The dogs and their handlers underwent 20 weeks of training at the New York State Police Canine Training Facility located in Cooperstown, according to officials. During the training, pairs received instruction in:

• basic obedience
• agility
• handler protection
• building searches
• explosive or narcotic detection
• tracking for fugitives and lost or missing persons
• basic veterinary care
• land navigation and grid searches

Currently, state police have 87 dog/handler teams, which in the first nine months of the year responded to more than 3,200 service calls.

The dogs are donated from breeders, private individuals and humane societies, and all of the canines are put through extensive testing and evaluation prior to assignment in the Canine Basic Handler’s School.

Photo via YouTube of Trooper Glen Williams and Canine Trooper Bunner