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Cambria County swears in prison K-9 officer Storm

Storm is first trained narcotics detection dog in facility’s history

By Matt Churella 3 min read

EBENSBURG -- For the first time in its 154-year history, the Cambria County Prison has a trained narcotics detection K-9 who is ready to serve the community on all assigned missions with her handler, Deputy Warden Carmelo Furnari.

Her name is Storm, a 16-month-old Dutch Shepherd, who smiled and wagged her tail, seemingly pledging to work diligently and answer all of Furnari's commands, as Cambria County President Judge Linda Fleming officially swore her into duty Tuesday at the Cambria County Courthouse.

Cambria County Prison Warden Kurt Wolford said having a narcotics K-9 matters because the challenges facing correctional institutions today have changed dramatically over the years.

"The narcotics we deal with today can be extremely potent, dangerous and difficult to detect," Wolford said, adding even a small amount of narcotics can create a serious medical emergency, endanger the prison's staff and cause significant problems inside the institutional facility.

"We have a responsibility to adapt to those threats," he said. "We have the responsibility to give our staff the tools they need to do their jobs safely and effectively, and we have a responsibility to do everything reasonably possible to keep dangerous drugs and contraband out of the prison."

K-9 Storm will give the prison's staff another tool to do exactly that, Wolford said, thanking the Cambria County Prison board, Cambria County District Attorney Jessica Aurandt, K-9 Titan's Watch Foundation President Brett Reaman and others for making the historical moment possible.

The foundation donated the necessary funds -- about $12,000 -- to purchase K-9 Storm for the prison from a breeder in Florida, Reaman said, noting the total could reach up to $15,000, depending how far officials go with Storm's training.

The foundation was established in loving memory of K-9 Titan, a beloved member of Cambria County law enforcement who tragically lost his life in the line of duty.

Titan exemplified the best of qualities in a K-9: service, loyalty, courage and unwavering dedication throughout his whole career, Reaman said, noting Storm will carry that legacy forward.

"These remarkable dogs and their handlers form what is an unbreakable bond; one formed on trust, service and sacrifice," Reaman said. "They deserve every bit of support that we can offer."

Aurandt said adding K-9 Storm to the prison is an important investment in the safety and security of the correctional institution, and her office is "incredibly honored and proud" to support the initiative.

Strategic K-9 of North Huntingdon Township, Westmoreland County, provided expert training for Storm, Furnari said, noting he and Storm train every week.

Furnari said Storm is currently trained to detect fentanyl, marijuana, heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine. Over the next couple weeks, she will be trained to detect suboxone, he said.

"She's also working on article tracking and hopefully we get to do human tracking as well," Furnari said, adding he's spent about three months with Storm so far.

Storm enjoys coming to work with Furnari every day, he said.

"We go out and we train. The wardens and the prison board are always open to that," Furnari said. "Now when I take her home, she's a pet, so she knows when the vest comes off and the collar comes off, she's free to be a pet."

Furnari said he has two other dogs at home, and Storm likes to relax with them.

On Tuesday, Storm sat patiently by Furnari's side, occasionally playing with her toy and looking around at spectators who gathered in the courtroom for her big day.

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.

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