Service-trained dog becomes newest officer patrolling MacArthur Airport

Travelers at Long Island MacArthur Airport now have an added — and more adorable — layer of security in Trisko, the newest canine officer county officials introduced Wednesday morning.

Tail wagging, the 2-year-old golden retriever-Labrador mix hopped up on a baggage carousel and patrolled the terminal with his human partner, Suffolk County Police Officer Eric DiPrima, munching on plenty of treats along the way.

The duo will be assigned exclusively to the airport, a move officials say will boost passenger safety as the airport continues to expand.

"It improves everybody’s security going in and out of the airport," said Robert Schneider, deputy commissioner of aviation at the airport. "We’re living in a heightened state."

Operations at MacArthur have grown steadily, Schneider said. In 2016, the airport had two air carriers and six total nonstop destinations. Today, there are four airlines and 18 nonstop destinations, Schneider said, which have nearly doubled passenger numbers to 1.4 million people every year.

Acting Suffolk Police Commissioner Robert Waring said the most recent canine assigned to the airport retired along with his partner in January, creating the vacancy. Trisko was donated by Canine Companions, a national service dog organization with a training center in Medford.

"Canine Companions felt he would be best suited for a job in law enforcement," Waring said, because of Trisko’s high drive.

The dog recently completed three months of training in explosives detection, officials said. Trisko joins 20 other Suffolk police dogs, according to a department spokesperson.

Debra Dougherty, executive director of Canine Companions northeast training center, said the agency has matched hundreds of dogs across the country with veterans, people with disabilities and government agencies.

"They are born with a purpose, so we always look for these new and innovative placements for them," Dougherty said.

The training center was recently featured in a Netflix documentary, "Inside the Mind of a Dog," which premiered in August and focuses on the training process and science of canine behavior. 

A police department spokesperson did not provide a cost for the training course, saying they were "unable to quantify" it. 

Wednesday’s ceremony was bittersweet for the two families that raised Trisko from 2 to 18 months: Ann and Bob Benson of New Milford, New Jersey, and Pat Redden of Jersey City, who made the trip to wish him well.

Despite the vest marked "do not pet," DiPrima made an exception for Trisko’s former handlers. "I want him to get as much loving with you guys as possible. You guys did so much for him," he said, adding that he’s always wanted to have a canine partner.

Ann Benson, 73, knows the feeling well. She’s raised 15 service dogs with her husband.

"It’s like bringing my kids to college," she said. "I feel bad, then I always say, don’t dare call me tomorrow saying this isn’t for you. And there’s nothing better than hearing that they got a job."