Meet the NYPD’s newest Thanksgiving Day parade heroes

Published on November 20, 2018

Turkey Day parade security is going to the dogs!

Four new bomb-detecting pooches — with super-powered sniffers —will help NYPD counter-terrorism cops keep the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade safe this year, police said Tuesday.

“They’re able to pick up the scent of the explosive at a greater distance than a lab,” said James Waters, the NYPD’s chief counter-terrorism.

The so-called explosive odor detection dogs — which include German shepherds Franky and Eddie and Belgian Malinois Rowland and Rob — can sniff out bomb powder from up to 200 feet away, he said.

Franky, age 6, recently passed a test run with flying colors.

“We took the dog out onto 43rd Street one day and we had a decoy with a backpack with some powder in it,” Waters said. “He immediately indicated by basically pulling on the handler.”

The well-trained pooches are just one way the NYPD is amping up security, Waters said. Read More