Meet New York's furriest: NYC Police Foundation releases annual K-9 and friends calendar
NEW YORK -- The New York City Police Foundation is releasing its annual K-9 and friends calendar, and CBS2's Ali Bauman got a chance to hang out with the stars of the photoshoot.
They're New York's finest, furriest officers.
Officer Jessica Olivieri and her mustang, Gomez, patrol Times Square with the mounted unit.
"I brush him, I pick his feet, I bridle him, saddle him and we go out on patrol," Olivieri said.
"Why is having a mounted unit so important as opposed to just regular patrol cars?" Bauman asked.
"Honestly, community ... It's easier for them to talk to us because of the horses. The horses draw everyone in," Olivieri said.
Gomez is Mr. May in this year's Police Foundation calendar.
Sales usually raise around $30,000 with proceeds going to programs like the mounted and K-9 units.
"The Police Foundation has been around over 50 years, and we support programs to make New York City a safer place," New York City Police Foundation executive director Gregg Roberts said.
This year's cover stars are therapy dogs Glory, Piper and Jenny.
"By putting these three therapy dogs on this calendar is a huge step forward in breaking the stigma of mental health," said Mark Wachter, commanding officer of the NYPD Health and Wellness section.
The department brought on the therapy dogs just last year to expand mental health resources for officers.
"In 2019, we had a suicide crisis in the department, we had 10 members who died by suicide, and that's very hard to say, so we really explored many different modalities in the agency," Wachter said.
The puppies go to crime scenes and precincts all around the five boroughs.
"Really what it does is it just relaxes everybody in the room. The biggest police officer is sitting on the ground kissing the dog, they're taking selfies," Wachter said. "A healthy officer on this job has better interactions with the public. That's the main goal of the NYPD."
Even though they're supermodels now, the four-legged officers are friendly, so if you see them on the street, don't be afraid to say hi.
To learn more about the calendar, visit nycpolicefoundation.org/2023calendar.