TRAINING

The American Police Canine Association welcomes you in visiting our web page, in which we encourage you to take a few moments and review the diverse training opportunities, which our association offers to current and perspective members. The A.P.C.A. is a progressive and growing national canine association, focusing on providing high caliber training seminars and workshops throughout the year. Seminars, which are provided, range from basic training fundamentals to advanced tactical deployment applications utilizing simulated “real world” conflict environments. For the canine team desiring unique challenges, the association also offers special team events, such as tactical seminars and the annual K-9 “Sniff-Off”, a law enforcement narcotics detection competition, which offers great training and tests a detection teams skills to the fullest.

Available throughout the year, the association offers national certification testing in patrol and narcotics detection specialties by accredited A.P.C.A. Master Trainers. As evidenced by recent and tragic national events, The American Police Canine Association is now the first national canine association to implement a national certification standard, entitled the School Resource Officer Certification (SRO). Trained law enforcement teams assigned to school districts are tested, and certified in the detection of firearms and illicit narcotics on school property.

The A.P.C.A. is committed to providing the best training and seminars possible for the police service dog team. Ongoing event planning and information networking is one of the utmost priorities in serving our members needs and training requirements. Plans are underway for the 2007 A.P.C.A. National Workshop, to be held in Bedford, Indiana, September 24 – 27, 2007. This event has been consistently recognized as one of the top police canine workshops in the nation. Information and registration forms are available online. If you are looking for a great week of training, food and fellowship, this is the opportunity you won’t want to miss. We look forward to seeing you there in September!!!!

Sincerest Regards,

Michael D. Johnson, President
American Police Canine Association

BAM!!!! We’re “Kick’in it up a Notch”! The burners are on high and we are cook’in. Our association has experienced explosive growth in 2007, which has been ongoing and attributed to our memberships efforts, dedication, and commitment towards building a solid and professional police canine association. My heartfelt thanks and grateful appreciation to APCA’s Executive Board, which has been working 24/7 for the past seven months in providing sound leadership and laying the framework of an association recognized as on the move and setting the bar!!

There are many to be recognized and congratulated for their numerous contributions and achievements. For brevity, I wish to recognize a few individuals that come immediately to mind. Special thanks to APCA Vice President Patrick T. Merritt for his valued support, wisdom and guidance, which he has provided me in serving as President. Special thanks to Accreditation Chairman Denny A. Kunkel who has provided exceptional leadership in all matters pertaining to accreditation and certification standards.

A special salute, to Master Trainer Orville S. Roberts, for his donated services and many hours involved in the design and maintenance of the association’s impressive website. My hats off to Trainer Douglas A. Daugherty, for his graphics design of the association’s national logo.

The American Police Canine Association is the first and only national canine association to offer a national certification standard, entitled the School Resource Officer (S.R.O.) Certification. Certified law enforcement canine teams are assigned to school districts, which are trained to detect illicit narcotics and firearms on school property. The APCA now has implemented approved schools for the training and certification of these specialty law enforcement canine teams.

S.R.O. Master Trainer Orville S. Roberts and Officer Anthony J. Pape, Allen County, Indiana Police Department is to be congratulated for their innovation and contributions in the establishment of this national certification standard. Officer Anthony J. Pape & his K-9, Hunter became the first S.R.O. Certified Canine Detection Team in the United States to receive this honor, bearing the number #0001. S.R.O. Master Trainer Orville S. Roberts is to be commended as being the first nationally accredited School Resource Officer (S.R.O.) Master Trainer in the certification of S.R.O. Canine Detection Teams.

Finally, One of the American Police Canine Association’s key priorities is training. Our planning staff is constantly upgrading and preparing future training events for our membership. One of those being the upcoming 2007 APCA National Workshop, September 23-27, 2007 in Bedford, Indiana. This event promises to be one of the nations premier police canine training events offered in 2007. Information pertaining to this event can be obtained on our website. We hope to see you there.

To all the members of the American Police Canine Association, thank you for all that you do and the support you have provided to the APCA Executive Board and myself as your President. If we can be of any assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are here to serve you as we strive to be a better association on the move and setting the bar!

The APCA“07" National Workshop, recently hosted by the Bedford, Indiana Police Department was graded as a great success by those in attendance. For those who were unable to attend this year’s event, here is the latest review of the “07” Nationals.

Teams participated in twelve training venues, which were offered throughout the city and county. Several tactical venues had high levels of attendance that included Night K9/Swat building entries, K9 Tactical Firearms course and Night felony vehicle stop scenarios with simunition weapons. Daily classroom instruction topics and ongoing certifications were also provided during the training week. Everyone enjoyed the superb home cooked meals prepared by the Psi Iota Xi Sorority. The APCA extends its sincerest appreciation for their long hours and hard work in the kitchen.

Congratulations to Master Trainer Al Gill and Trainer Mike Arthur who received APCA accreditations in their specialized fields of instruction. Also congratulations to Trainer Mike Drake and his K-9 Partner, Udo, who are the first and only team to certify as a APCA Level 3 trailing team. Great job Mike & Udo for your esteemed accomplishment in achieving this difficult certification standard.

The association convened the 2007 APCA General Membership Meeting on September 24, 2007. The general membership voted and unanimously approved to accept the drafted bylaws presented by the APCA Executive Board. Also during the workshop, the association conducted it first School Resource Officer Instructor School for APCA Master Trainers and Trainers who will be conducting certifications and training for K-9 SRO teams in the upcoming months. Hats off to SRO Master Trainer Orville Roberts for his expertise to the association in offering this field of instruction.

The APCA National Awards Banquet was held on September 26, 2007 in which three of the associations members were recognized and presented national President’s Awards for personal achievement.

The 2007 APCA Patrol Dog Officer of the Year was presented to Officer Michael L. Drake, Concord, NC Police Department. The 2007 APCA Narcotics Detection Officer of the Year was presented to Deputy Dennis W. Smith, Catawba County, NC Sheriff’s Office. The 2007 APCA School Resource Officer of the Year was presented to Officer Anthony J. Pape, Allen County, IN Police Department.

A special thank you to all of the Master Trainers and Trainers who assisted in making the “07” Nationals a great training event. The association has its sights on 2008 and is currently working in the planning and the setting of dates for upcoming training events for our association. Please keep posted to our website for this information as it becomes available.

Respectfully Yours In Dogs, Michael D. Johnson, President American Police Canine Association

As we enter the holiday season and 2007 draws to a close, I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on the significant strides and accomplishments of which our association experienced this past year.

The A.P.C.A. witnessed a challenging and demanding schedule in “07” as it established the groundwork for a professional and progressive national law enforcement canine association. As president, I am pleased to report that the American Police Canine Association met every goal and objective on its business itinerary during the year. Our success as a new and upcoming association is attributed to each and every member’s contributions and commitment to the A.P.C.A team. Many of you “stepped up to the plate” and accepted numerous responsibilities and projects, which were vital in making this association a reality and one of astounding membership growth throughout the nation. Our association can be proud of its Executive Board, Master Trainers and Trainers, which worked diligently throughout the year in conducting the associations business, hosting training seminars & workshops, and providing training and certifications for our membership. I would like to extend my sincerest appreciation and gratitude to each of you for your dedication and valued service to our association.

The year 2008 promises to be a very productive and busy year for our association. As evidenced by the “08” training events schedule, several events consisting of training seminars, competitions and the national workshop will be afforded to our members throughout the year. We hope you will be able to take advantage of these many training opportunities as they become available. Highlight events for this year include the annual Winter K-9 “Sniff Off”, a narcotics detection law enforcement competition, to be held on Saturday, March 1, 2008, in Bedford, Indiana, hosted by the Bedford, IN Police Department. The “08” APCA North Carolina Spring Seminar will be held April 14-18, 2008 in Concord, North Carolina, hosted by the Concord, NC Police Department. On Sunday, June 28, 2008, the APCA will hold its first Hard Dog, Fast Dog, Patrol competition to be hosted by the Middletown, IN Police Department. The “08” APCA National Workshop will be held September 22-26, 2008 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Allen County, Indiana Police Department will be the hosting agency for this year’s national event.

Please keep posted to our website as to event and registration information for these training events as they become available.

Congratulations are extended to the following APCA members in achieving the Associations highest certification trailing standards.On November 9, 2007, Deputy Sean M. Paris & K-9 Dart and Deputy Andrew P. Beaver & K-9 Sheriff, Morgan County, Indiana Sheriff’s Department received the esteemed APCA Level three (3) trailing Certification. These two teams have now achieved the most difficult trailing certification standard that our association conducts. They are now part of an elite group of only three officers in the APCA to have passed this certification standard. The first officer to receive this honor was Officer Mike Drake & K-9 Udo, Concord, North Carolina Police Department.

On a business note, 2008 Membership Dues notices will be forwarded to our members during the month of December 2007. Dues should be received by January 31, 2008. All pertinent information will be provided in this correspondence as to membership dues payment and forwarding instructions.

Finally, our association is committed to recognizing our members efforts, accomplishments, and achievements in their law enforcement duties as K-9 Officers. Our website director, Master Trainer Scott Roberts is requesting case information from our members who have been involved in a canine related capture, find, track or any good activity which will be added to the News Releases Section of our home page. Please be sure to include a short narrative and all available photos. These may be emailed, faxed or sent by mail to Scott Roberts.

In closing, from the Johnson Family to you and yours, we wish each of you a joyous and blessed holiday season. Until we meet again, stay safe and “Keep Train’in Those Dogs”.

Respectfully Yours in Dogs, Michael D. Johnson, President American Police Canine Association

December 2007 - March 2008

President’s Update . . .

Enduring the cold months of January through March at times has a limiting effect on many K-9 units in maintaining their motivation and adherence to rigid training schedules. Most of us have our sights set for spring training when seminars and workshops are set in motion and short sleeves are the training dress for the day. For those who want a change of routine, what are you waiting for? The APCA’s 2008 Winter K-9 “Sniff-Off” to be held in Bedford, Indiana is set for Saturday, March 1^st 2008 and promises to be a great day of training and competition. The association projects this years attendance to be the best yet with some great narcotics teams lining up in the field of challengers for this years top three awards. Information and registration forms for this annual event are posted on our website. We hope to see you there!

For those of you who may not be able to attend the “Sniff-Off”, the association has additional upcoming training opportunities with the 2008 APCA Spring K-9 Seminar, to be hosted by the Concord, North Carolina Police Department the week of April 14-18, 2008. This seminar has a rich history of being an exceptional law enforcement canine training seminar, offering a diversity of field and classroom instruction. The seminars coordinator, Master Trainer Pat Merritt promises this years event to be another great week of training in which the Concord Police Department has been working diligently in its planning. This seminar has received outstanding reviews from those in attendance, in which team participation has only increased year after year. Event information and registration forms for this seminar can also be found on this website. Please mark your calendar, this is one event you will want to attend.

The American Police Canine Association takes immense pride in keeping our website readers informed in providing the most current & factual information available. This in part has been accomplished through an abundance of ongoing training articles submitted by experts in the field, the implementation and creation of the School Resource Officer Detection (SRO) program, a innovative national accreditation certification standard offered and administered only by the APCA, and a continuous updated schedule of training events.

The APCA has now expanded its informational resource base and welcomes aboard a leading expert in the field of Search & Seizure Case Law. Mr. Charles M. Braun II, Staff Attorney for the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy (I.L.E.A.) has accepted the APCA’s invitation as the association’s legal columnist in which he will provide numerous case law opinions relating to the field of Search & Seizure. In addition, readers will have the opportunity to submit legal questions to him in regard to articles published by Mr. Braun. Again, Welcome Aboard Mr. Charles Braun. We are indeed honored by your assistance in providing the ever changing legal information, which the handlers in the police canine profession may gain from in the performance of their duties in serving and protecting the public.

On a final note, the Association’s membership growth is expanding throughout the country. We wish to welcome our recent members from the Southern, Eastern, Midwest and the Great plains states. The American Police Canine Association is working diligently to offer opportunities for each of its members. We look forward to working with each of you in the future and assisting our fellow brothers and sisters in the police canine profession.

Respectfully Yours in Dogs, Michael D. Johnson, President American Police Canine Association