Heroic Police K9 Unit Dog Passes Away In Manchester, New Jersey

A beloved police K9 unit dog who just recently retired from active service has passed away, according to the Manchester Township Police Department Facebook page. The devastating news comes just days after the Manchester police shared a heartwarming video of Storm's last on-duty radio transmission.

We love and respect all of the first responders who make our world a safer place, and that includes humans and canines as well. That is why this news is so heartbreaking to us and so many others.

Here's some more about Storm. He had an amazing and decorated career.  He was involved in 70 Officer protection calls, did 180 narcotics "sniff/searches", 25 search warrants, and 23 building searches along with a slew of other courageous accomplishments.

The Manchester Police were able to capture Storm's last radio transmission and share it on social media.

Storm served the community until a 2020 diagnosis of cancer led to surgery on his eye. Storm had been staying home with his handler, Officer Marc Micciulla, and his family, who adopted him as soon as he could no longer perform his duties. He was officially retired only last week.

He and his partner, Ptl. Micciulla received a proclamation last week recognizing his retirement. The list of accomplishments for Storm over the course of his 6-year career in Manchester and the state is very impressive.

He also was reportedly colorblind, but he didn't let that or anything stop him from protecting our community. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Micciulla family, the Manchester Township Police, and the whole town of Manchester in their time of grief.