Antommarchi, Steven

Over the last 15 years, Steven Antommarchi has held the law enforcement titles of Patrol Officer, Canine Handler, Canine Supervisor, Canine Trainer and Interim Chief of Police.

His first encounter with a K-9 team was in New York City on September 11, 2001. He witnessed a search and rescue K-9 team fighting through horrible conditions, while overcoming serious injury for the sake of saving lives. That encounter made such a profound impression on him that he knew what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. 15 years later, on July 7, 2016, in Dallas, Texas, K-9 Officer Antommarchi found himself in the middle of the deadliest attack on law enforcement since 9/11. Tasked with the responsibility of clearing the downtown area for improvised explosive devices, the reason he got into working K-9s came full circle.

Being mentored by Tony Guzman and Robert “Bob” Suarez, Antommarchi is the Founder of Next Level K9 Texas, an Instructor for the Texas School Safety Center at Texas State University and K-9 case study trainer for the Global Forensic Justice Center at Florida International University.

Most recently, he became one of the lead trainers and co-designer of the training methodology for a scientific study on “Hemp vs Marijuana.” This study is to evaluate the ability for narcotic detector dogs to discriminate between the odor of marijuana and hemp. The study is being headed by Dr. Kelvin Frank of Florida International University and is in the process of being submitted for publication.

Antommarchi is the K-9 trainer and consultant for dozens of law enforcement agencies across the United States and Africa. Conducting workshops and seminars focusing on K-9 aggression instincts, K9 scientific research and operational readiness. He is also the Law Enforcement Secretary for the American Working Dog Association (AWDA) for the disciplines of Narcotics, Patrol, Person Borne IED, Electronic Storage Device detection, Tracking, Trailing, Explosives, Accelerant Detection and Personal Protection.