Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc.
Accredited Trainers

Sergeant William Nott Jr.

Bill is a past President and founder of the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association. He is currently a Master Trainer with the North American Police Work Dog Association and is a member of the United States Police Canine Association.

Sgt. Bill Nott Jr. has been a police officer since 1978, he has been involved in training police service dogs since 1984; he served as a handler and unit coordinator for ten years. Bill currently supervises and maintains three tactical patrol canine teams for his agency.

Bill has instructed for the U.S.P.C.A. and N.A.P.W.D.A. on a national and regional level and has testified before the Connecticut House Judiciary Committee in favor of legislation that was enacted to protect police service animals. He has also testified in court and successfully defended his department in a criminal proceeding where the use of force was questioned as a result of a K-9 deployment.

He has contributed canine training articles and been interviewed by Police Magazine and Connecticut Police Chief's Association Magazine.

Bill's entire career has been focused on tactical patrol dog training. Bill specializes in motivational problem solving techniques for aggression control, tactical obedience, passive gunfire response and equipment neutralization, as well as scenario based training that combines realistic street level training for the canine team.  Bill has been instructing for the International Police Canine Conference since 1997. 

Sergeant William R. Scribner

Sergeant William Scribner has been involved in the training of police service dogs for over 29 years. He began his career as a professional dog trainer after completing a 6-month instructor's course in 1978 at a private canine training facility in Newtown, Connecticut. This facility, Canine Security, offered a comprehensive instructor's course covering all aspects of canine behavior including: obedience, behavior modification, personal protection, security work, police patrol, narcotic, and explosive detection. Upon completing the course Bill was hired on as a full time instructor, a position he held until 1985. In those 7 years Bill instructed, through group and  private lessons, over 1600 dogs of almost every AKC recognized breed including K9 teams from municipal, county and state law enforcement agencies across the nation.

In 1986 Bill became a full time member of the New Milford, Connecticut Police Department and in 1991 attended a 400-hour Patrol and Narcotics Canine Handler's Course at the Alabama Canine Law  Enforcement Officers Training Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. That same year Bill was instrumental in establishing New Milford Police Department's current K-9 Program. Also in 1991 he was one of the founding members of the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. and held the Association's Vice-President position for 2 terms.

The North American Police Work Dog Association accredited Bill as a Police K-9 Trainer in the areas of patrol work and narcotics in 1993. Since that time, with the assistance of several other talented K-9 Trainers, Bill has remained very active selecting, testing, and training over 60 additional canine teams from across the state in patrol, narcotic detection and explosive detection.

In October of 2000 Bill received accreditation from NAPWDA as a Master Trainer in the areas of Patrol and  Narcotics Detection. In November of 2006 Bill received accreditation from NAPWDA as a Master Trainer in the area of Explosive Detection. As one of 61 accredited Master Trainers in the U.S. Bill can act as an examiner testing and certifying Police Service Dog Teams.

Bill has extensive experience in the area of canine competition: handling German Shorthaired Pointers in field trials, competing with German Shepherd Dogs, Chinese Sharpei's, and Bouviers des Flandres in AKC and UKC confirmation shows, and titling 2 different dogs, a German Shepherd and a German Shorthaired Pointer in AKC. obedience trials. He was one of the original members of the Connecticut Working Dog Association and a founding member of the Housatonic Police and Schutzhund Association, both are schutzhund clubs within the state. While training with these schutzhund clubs Bill has trained, handled, and competed with 4 different dogs, both German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois', in the various levels of schutzhund, IPO, DPO, and WPO For three consecutive years, 1992, 1993, and 1994, Bill and his police K-9 dog Yerry von Seigesburg ("Kato") were selected as 1 of the top 5 K-9 teams in the nation to travel to Europe and represent the United States at the International Deutsche Meisterschaft fur Deinst hundesfurers, the World Police Dog Championship held each year in Germany.

Bill's current philosophy and training program is a culmination of 29 years of canine experience gained by attending countless schools, seminars, and workshops and the knowledge gleaned from working under some of the top civilian and police canine trainers in this ever evolving field.  

Sergeant Michael J. Ravenelle

Sergeant Michael Ravenelle has been a Police Officer with the Ledyard Police Department since 1989.  In 1991, under the guidance of Bill Nott from the New London Police Department, Mike started the Ledyard Police K-9 Unit with his partner, "Max".  Due to the team's success, the canine unit in Ledyard has since grown to three teams.  Mike and Max graduated from the Connecticut State Police 52nd Canine Training Troop in 1993, where they received the award for Best Evidence Team.  The pair has also been trained in utility and narcotic detection under the standards of the North American Police Work Dog Association.  In the past nine years, Mike and Max have worked together, handling all types of calls from missing persons to homicides and as a result, have enjoyed much success. Mike served as the NAPWDA State Coordinator from 1997 - 2000.  In 1997, Mike became an accredited trainer in the areas of patrol and narcotic detection with the North American Police Work Dog Association.  Since that time, he has trained several teams in both patrol and narcotic detection.  Mike has assisted as a trainer at NAPWDA seminars and assisted as a decoy for the International Police K-9 Conference held in Orlando, Florida and New London, Connecticut.  He currently holds weekly in-service training for Police K-9 teams from both Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Robert S. Eden

President of Eden Consulting Group

Patrol Dog Instructor - Tactical Instructor - Tracking - Chemical Munitions - Narcotics

Bob Eden has been a police officer since 1981 working with the Delta Police Department in British Columbia, Canada. Initially assigned to patrol and then traffic section, became a member of the dog section in 1983. He is the author of two books, "Dog Training For Law Enforcement" and "K9 Officers Manual" and has been involved in the development of a number of video productions for law enforcement K9 training. In 1988 Bob was appointed to the B.C. Police Commission's committee to create minimum police dog training standards for law enforcement agencies in the province of British Columbia. He was also appointed by the World Police & Fire Games Committee of California to coordinate the competition site for the World Police & Fire Games Police Dog Championships, held in Vancouver, BC in 1989. In 1991 he created and developed the International Police K9 Conference in an attempt to bring a professional training seminar to officers which was not politically oriented or specific to any particular style of training. The intent was to support all officers in methods which meet their specific needs. Bob has also authored articles and columns in such periodicals as "Police Magazine", "Law and Order", "Police and Security News", "Finland's Rottweiler Magazine", "The Police K9 Recruiter" and "Offlead Magazine" from Australia. In 1994 he created the "The Police Dog Home Page" on the Internet at http://www.policek9.com which as become the largest and most diversified page on the net on law enforcement K9 operations. Bob held a a Hard Surface and Urban Tracking school for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association K-9 teams in 1997 and gave class room instructions at the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Police Department located on the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Reservation. Bob also held the National Police Canine Conference in 2002 and 2003 in New London, Connecticut for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association K-9 teams.
                                                                                             

Dr. Stephen Mackenzie Ph D

Trainer / Examiner

Patrol Dog Instructor - Cobleskill, NY - Tracking - Tactical Instructor - Animal Science Dr. Mackenzie has been training and working police service dogs for over 20 years. He is a part time Deputy with the Schoharie County Sheriff's Department in upstate New York, serving as a K-9 handler Trainer. He is a Trainer/Examiner of police dog teams for the state of New York, an Examiner of police work dog teams for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association, and a Master Trainer with the North American Police Work Dog Association. He originated the K-9 column in Police: The Law Officer's Magazine and served as a Contributing Editor on police dogs for Dog Sports Magazine before writing Decoys and Aggression: A Police K-9 Training Manual. An animal behaviorist, he holds a doctorate in the genetics of animal behavior from Cornell University and is presently a Professor of Animal Science for the State University of New York in Cobleskill. He has given numerous decoy workshops for police officers and has appeared on "American's Most Wanted," the BBC's "Antenna" Science Series and has been consulted by National Geographic Television regarding canine behavior.  A regular instructor for the International Police K9 Conference, he has also lectured at the national training seminar of the United States Police Canine Association and the National Police Bloodhound Association. As an animal behaviorist, Dr. Mackenzie has given expert testimony in both civil and criminal court regarding canine behavior. Steve has certified numerous Connecticut Police Work Dog Association teams through out the years. Steve instructed at a Hard Surface and Urban Tracking school for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association K-9 teams in 1997 and gave class room instructions at the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Police Department located on the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Reservation. Steve also was an instructor at the National Police Canine Conference in 2002 and 2003 in New London, Connecticut for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association. Steve also held decoy seminars for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association in 1998, 2005 and 2006.

Deputy Terry Fleck

South Lake Tahoe, California

Tactical Instructor - Patrol Dog Instructor - Advanced Tactical / SWAT - Legal

Terry Fleck, is a retired Deputy Sheriff II / Canine Handler in South Lake Tahoe, California. Terry has been in law enforcement for 27 years and has been involved with police dogs during that time. Terry has been a police dog handler and trainer for 22 years and just retired his third canine partner, a police service dog cross-trained for search and rescue, narcotics, evidence recovery, cadaver and tracking. Terry is an expert in the field of canine legalities. Author of the Canine Legal Update and Opinions, the Canine Legal Update and Opinions for Supervisors and Administrators, the Tracking Canine Legal Update and Opinions, the Search and Rescue Canine Legal Update and Opinions and the Narcotic and Contraband Canine Legal Update and Opinions,  http://www.k9fleck.org Terry tracks and updates the canine industry on current case law and legal trends.With a degree of Doctor of Education in Criminal Justice, Terry teaches Canine Legal Update and Opinions classes throughout the United States and Canada. He has taught over 12,000 canine handlers, supervisors, administrators, attorneys and risk managers nationwide. His classes focus on canine legalities, the prevention of litigation and canine tactics. Terry also studies canine tactics and develops techniques to keep canine handlers safe, utilizing their dogs to maximum tactical advantage. Terry was an instructor at the National Police Canine Conference in 2002 and 2003 in New London, Connecticut for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association.

Staff Sergeant Bob Wright

Niagara Regional Police Service - Ontario, Canada

Patrol Dog Instructor - Tactical Instructor - K9 Management - Advanced SWAT/K9

Bob is a Shift Commander with the Niagara Regional Police in Ontario, Canada.  A very active instructor at Seminars and Conferences throughout North America, Bob has provided expertise worldwide during his 15 years as a Canine Handler, Trainer and Canine Unit Supervisor. Additionally, Bob’s experience as a Tactical Team member and as the Emergency Task Unit Commander have allowed him a great understanding of the needs of both Canine and Tactical Teams. Bob is a qualified expert witness and has authored numerous articles on the use of Police Service Dogs and Tactics.  Bob has an undergraduate Degree from Brock University and a Diploma in Police Management from Western University. At the International K9 Conference Bob teaches Tactics, Problem Solving, Officer Safety, Firearms and Hander Selection and Supervision for the Administrators. Bob instructed K-9 teams at the National Police Canine Conference in 2002 and 2003 in New London, Connecticut for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association.

Lieutenant Sterling Johnson

Simi Valley, California Police Department

Patrol Dog Instructor - K9 Trauma Care - Felony Car Stops - Tactical Instructor - Narcotics Detection

Lieutenant Sterling Johnson has been in Law Enforcement for over 32 years, the last 22 years at the Simi Valley Police Department, California, where he is currently a Patrol Watch Commander. He has experience as a K-9 Handler, working three dogs. He was a handler for over 14 years. All of his K-9 partners have been crossed trained in Patrol and Narcotics detection. Lieutenant Johnson has won the World Police  & Fire Games, Police Service Dog Competition twice, 1989 & 1991. He was on the Simi Valley Police Department's S.W.A.T. Team serving both as the team's Paramedic and the Team Leader. His fellow officers selected him as 1994 Officer of the Year. He has served on the Veterinary Emergency Trauma & Critical Care Committee. He is a  former President of Region 23, of the U.S.P.C.A. Lieutenant Johnson is a Superior Court Certified Expert Witness in Police Dog related cases in both Civil & Criminal matters.  He was appointed by Governor Pete Wilson to the State of California Emergency Medical Services Commission in April, 1997. As a Commissioner, he represents all Law Enforcement  Officers in the state in E.M.S. regulations & legislation. Lieutenant Johnson is a Licensed Paramedic and works part time for American Medical Response  (AMR), the City's 911 responder. He is also an instructor at the U.C.L.A. Medical Center, Center for Prehospital Care, where he teaches Advanced Cardiac Life Support & Pediatric Advanced Life Support to the Residents, Interns, Nurses, & Paramedics. He is also an instructor at Daniel Freeman Paramedic School. He teaches the K-9 trauma care, Narcotics Detection, and the Tactical Deployment of K-9.  Sterling instructed K-9 teams at the National Police Canine Conference in 2002 and 2003 in New London, Connecticut for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association.

Sgt. Robert Roth

Uintah County Sheriff's Department Utah

Narcotics Instructor, Firearms

Sgt. Robert Roth has been in Law Enforcement for over 15 years, currently employed with the Uintah County Sheriff's Department in Vernal, Utah. He has served in the Corrections Division, and for the past 11 years in the Patrol Division. He currently serves as the Patrol Division Commander with the Sheriff's Department.  He has worked in K-9 since 1993 with a dual purpose dog, specializing in narcotics detection. Roth is a member of the Utah POST Firearms Specialist Advisory Group and is a Utah POST Academy Firearms Instructor. Robert instructed K-9 teams at the National Police Canine Conference in 2002 in New London, Connecticut for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association.

Ken Wallentine

Agency Liability, Handler Liability, Litigation, Court Room Procedures

Ken Wallentine is the Chief of Law Enforcement for the Utah Attorney General. He formerly served as Bureau Chief of the Investigations Bureau of Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training and as Administrative Counsel for the Utah Department of Public Safety. A law enforcement officer since 1982, he also has been a practicing public prosecutor. Chief Wallentine is a former police service dog handler, working with a patrol and drug detection German Shepherd. He consults and serves as an expert witness in use of force cases for major metropolitan law enforcement agencies. Chief Wallentine is the past-President of the Utah Peace Officers Association. He is a Board Member of the Utah SWAT Association, and is a featured writer in law enforcement journals, including POLICE, Utah Peace Officer, The Municipal Lawyer, The Prosecutor, and the Canine Courier. He is a member of the American Society of Law Enforcement and Security Trainers and the International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors. He created the Officer Involved Shooting Investigation course for POST In-Service training and regularly instructs in the course. He teaches in the Department of Public Safety Firearms Instructors Training Course, and hold numerous competitive shooting awards. Chief Wallentine is listed in Who's Who in America and the Outstanding Young Men of America. He is the author of police academy curriculum presently in use in numerous academies on cultural competence, unlawful profiling, use of force, psychological combat skills, and search and seizure.  His most recent book is Criminal Procedure: A Street Cop's Guide (Aspen Press 2005). Visit his website at  www.KenWallentine.com . Ken gave legal classes during the National Police Canine Conference in 2002 in New London, Connecticut for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association.