Inside the NYPD Transit Bureau Canine Unit

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - Sully, a 3-year-old German shorthaired pointer, and Ace, a 5-year-old German shepherd, are just two of the several dogs that make up the NYPD Transit Bureau Canine Unit. The dogs work with their human partners to keep our streets safe.

One of the first drills the dogs go through is obedience training. After they graduate from their basic training, they continue training with their human handlers, according to Detective Wayne Rothschild, lead canine trainer with the Transit Bureau. Ace has been with Rothschild since he was 10 months old.

The training can last for several months before the dogs join their partners on the streets to find the bad guys. And finding the bad guys is also a critical part of their development, as demonstrated by a simulated field search conducted by Detective Richard Geraci. Ace ran from box to box, trying to pick up the suspect's scent, which he eventually does in box No. 6.

Canine unit officers say that what makes the partnership work begins with a bond—just as it would with a human partner on the force.

Officer Kevin Belavsky said that Sully has been with the unit since he was about 9 months old and they have been together for more than two years.