Bruno – Omaha, Nebraska

Died – 5/15/21
Handler – Officer Pignotti

The Omaha Police Department announced the death of police service dog Bruno on Sunday. Police said Bruno began his career in February 2011 and worked over 10 years before retiring on April 9, 2021. “During that time, he located substantial amounts of drugs to include more than 5 lbs. of methamphetamine, 10 lbs. of heroin, and 274 lbs. of marijuana. His deployments also located 38 firearms and over $815,000 in cash,” police wrote in a tribute on Facebook. According to police, Bruno was deployed over 600 times to look for suspects with Uniform Patrol Officers, SWAT, Narcotics, and the Fugitive Unit and was involved in apprehending 213 suspects. Police said Bruno worked longer and had more apprehensions than any other dual-purpose K9 in the history of the Omaha Police Department. Bruno spent his short retirement with his handler, dog mom, and little dog sister. He developed an aggressive form of cancer and passed away peacefully in the arms of his family.

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Submitted By Jim Cortina

James A. Cortina has been involved with police dogs since 1972 and currently on the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. Jim has been appointed as Treasurer since its inception in 1991. Jim is one of the charter members of the C.P.W.D.A. organization. Since 1975 he has been a certified professional dog trainer and received his Master Trainer Certification in 1985. During his career he has provided armed K-9 strike crowd control for security agencies in Connecticut and out of state security companies. In conjunction with other members of the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. Board of Directors, he helped to draft Connecticut Statute 53-247(e) "Intentional Injury or Killing of Police K-9" which was passed by the Senate in 1993 and also assisted in implementing the prestigious Daniel Wasson Memorial K-9 Award in 1992. In 1993 he helped coordinate the North American Police Work Dog Association Nationals in New London, Connecticut. He was appointed Training Director for the New London County Work Dog Association from 1985-1987. He performed decoy work for Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. in police K-9 demonstrations, trained several local police department canines, and coordinated training workshops for out-of-state police departments. He participated in the United States Police K-9 Association Trials in Croton on Hudson, New York in 1985 as a decoy. He is an avid photographer and received photography awards in 1989, 1990, and 1991 and currently takes photographs for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc.
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