MID-HUDSON – The MTA is continuing to work to keep the region’s transportation system safe and canines are playing a large role in their efforts. The MTA PD Canine Unit currently has 35 teams whose mission is to deter terrorism and prevent crime on the Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad, Staten Island Railway, and at respective transportation terminals and facilities, according to MTA officials.
The MTA PD Canine Unit, currently under the leadership of MTA Police Department Lieutenant James Chirillo, reinvented canine training to be effective in terrorist prevention in a public transit environment after Sept. 11, 2001. A combination of unique patrol, intel, and canine explosive detection tactics have been implemented, and they have learned to adapt to different threats as they develop. The MTA PD has one of the largest canine explosives detection forces in the country.
The MTA PD recently partnered with the ATF to host a K9 explosives detection training and certification at the MTA’s K9 training facility in Stormville. MTA Officer Kelly O’Brien and her 3-year-old partner JV participated in the three-day exercise, with K9s and their human partners from the tri-state area. The ATF runs explosives training classes all across the country and the Stormville event is one of the most attended, drawing more than 100 canine units from numerous departments.
Officer O’Brien told Mid-Hudson News that her partner JV, a German Shepard, is named in honor of NYPD Emergency Services Unit Detective Joseph Vigiano who was killed in the line of duty on September 11, 2001. JV was born on July 1, 2020 and was partnered with O’Brien in April 2021. The duo is typically assigned to Penn Station and work 12-hour shifts on patrol, searching for potential dangers. They are routinely called upon to examine unattended bags found in the transportation hub.
“We also ride the trains on occasion,” O’Brien said. “We have jurisdiction all the way out…
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