After hearts across Southern California collectively broke watching an officer's despair unfold as his K-9 partner Credo was shot and killed in the line of duty, the officer now has something to help ease his grief: a new partner in law.
The smile on Long Beach Officer Mike Parcells' face said it all as he stood beaming next to his new partner, Storm, at a reveal Tuesday.
"He's a handful," Parcells said. "Because he's only a year and a half, he's got a lot of puppy instincts in him. So imagine riding around with your 2-year-old all day - that's how Storm is."
But Parcells' new partnership with Storm has a sadder beginning.
Credo, a 4-year-old Belgian Malinois, was killed June 28 at the end of a Long Beach police standoff. A man wanted in connection with a gang-related shooting involving multiple victims was holed up in a home in the 2800 block of East 15th Street.
Police said the man charged aggressively toward officers, and Credo tried to stop him.
Parcells, who was by Credo's side during the standoff, was captured on camera carrying the dog's limp body from the home and placing him down. He ripped off and threw his helmet to the ground, inconsolable over the shooting.
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It was revealed later by police that in 2005 Parcells lost another partner, a 4-year-old Belgian Malinois named Ranger, during a shooting.
In the days that followed, the Long Beach Police Department saluted Credo at a service, who had served for two years and aided in more than 30 apprehensions.
Tuesday was a new day for Parcells and the department as Storm was introduced to the world.
"Having a new partner is nice," Parcells said. "It was tough losing Credo. Storm will never take his place."
Storm showed off his training, going after a man dressed in an attack suit on Parcells' command, which was actually spoken in Dutch. Storm's commands are in Dutch as his pre-training was in Holland, Parcells said.
And once the work day is done, Storm and Parcells don't part ways.
"All of our dogs live with us. He lives in a kennel on the side of my house," Parcells said. "I have a retired police dog at home and he gets along with [the whole family] just great. When he's at home, he's just a normal dog."
Storm will also be equipped with a vest for his work.
