The Manchester Township Police is proud to announce the arrival of K-9 Officer Storm, a 19-month-old German Shepherd who will reside with K-9 Officer Marc Micciulla and assist in patrol operations throughout the Township.
Storm arrived at police headquarters on Friday, January 23rd, and is scheduled to attend the New Jersey Police K-9 Association Patrol Class in March, where he will be trained as a Dual Purpose K-9. Dual Purpose dogs are trained in the areas of police patrol operations, such as tracking and locating missing persons, suspects and evidence, as well as in narcotics detection. With one of the largest senior citizen populations in the state and many vast expanses of wooded areas, coupled with the ever-growing illicit drug epidemic in Ocean County, Storm is a welcome addition to both our agency and the community.
“The arrival of Storm is a proud day for the Manchester Township Police. Having our own K-9 Unit ensures that our officers will have immediate access to a police dog whenever needed, which is beneficial in helping us to better serve our residents,” Chief Brian Klimakowski said.
Storm was purchased using money from Manchester’s Law Enforcement Trust Account, which is comprised of revenue generated from seized and forfeited assets. Furthermore, Storm received his name after Officer Micciulla, a Manchester Police D.A.R.E. officer, solicited name suggestions from his 5th grade students. The D.A.R.E. students were asked to select names and after narrowing them down to two, Storm was selected by popular vote. In addition to the 5th grade students from Manchester Elementary School, the Manchester Township Police would like to thank the following individuals and agencies for their generous help in assisting in the establishment of the K-9 Unit: Brick Township Police for donating a K-9 vehicle, Bradley Beach Police for their donation of a K-9 vehicle cage, Stafford Township Police for their guidance, Sgt. Anthony Turso of Tinton Falls Police for his assistance with training, and Whiting Veterinary Services for donating examinations and medications.