K9 Duke – Long Island, New York

Died – 5/11/16
Handler – Detective William Hernandez

Duke, NYPD dog named after ‘Escape from New York’ villain, put to rest

Duke was A-No. 1. The dog, a veteran NYPD canine named for a famed villain from the movie “Escape from New York,” was put to rest Wednesday. “It was very hard. I couldn’t ask for a better partner,” said Detective William Hernandez, 46, of Long Island. The 13-year-old crime-fighting German shepherd suffered from hip dysplasia and couldn’t stand on his hind legs anymore, Hernandez said. About 10 cops watched as he carried Duke to a Staten Island veterinarian. The detective got paired with Duke in 2004, and named him after Isaac Hayes’ imposing character from the 1981 John Carpenter film. “The Duke of New York, A-No. 1,” he said, quoting the film. “I was a fan of that Kurt Russell movie back in the day. … I just liked the way they announced it. ‘Oh no, you don’t want to meet the Duke.’” Sure enough, criminals did not want to meet this Duke of New York, Hernandez said. Duke made six arrests — including a suspect in a Staten Island pharmacy burglary — and two crooks surrendered when they heard the pooch was on his way to get them, he said. Duke, who retired in 2012, also won first place in a 2009 United States Police Canine Association competition, Hernandez said.

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Submitted By Jim Cortina

James A. Cortina has been involved with police dogs since 1972 and currently on the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. Jim has been appointed as Treasurer since its inception in 1991. Jim is one of the charter members of the C.P.W.D.A. organization. Since 1975 he has been a certified professional dog trainer and received his Master Trainer Certification in 1985. During his career he has provided armed K-9 strike crowd control for security agencies in Connecticut and out of state security companies. In conjunction with other members of the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. Board of Directors, he helped to draft Connecticut Statute 53-247(e) "Intentional Injury or Killing of Police K-9" which was passed by the Senate in 1993 and also assisted in implementing the prestigious Daniel Wasson Memorial K-9 Award in 1992. In 1993 he helped coordinate the North American Police Work Dog Association Nationals in New London, Connecticut. He was appointed Training Director for the New London County Work Dog Association from 1985-1987. He performed decoy work for Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. in police K-9 demonstrations, trained several local police department canines, and coordinated training workshops for out-of-state police departments. He participated in the United States Police K-9 Association Trials in Croton on Hudson, New York in 1985 as a decoy. He is an avid photographer and received photography awards in 1989, 1990, and 1991 and currently takes photographs for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc.
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