The 2018 Dream Ride EXPO Learn from the best, sharpen your skills. August 3-5, 2018, Farmington, CT
The Dream Ride Police K-9 Expo takes place at the, at our private K-9 training facility. The Hometown Foundation, Inc. works year-round through our K-9 safety initiative to secure funding to make this weekend possible. In addition, our foundation actively donates Police K-9s, equipment and training. We encourage all handlers to showcase their K-9s during Dream Ride weekend in order to maximize awareness. The seminar will cover Patrol Work, Obedience, Apprehension, Tracking, Explosives, and Narcotics. Also, special workshops will be offered on community engagement and social media. All levels of K-9 Units are welcome. Each session will include theory, practical exercise, and testing to prepare the K-9 Units. At the end of this program, you and your K-9 will earn 8 hours of professional training and an additional 8 hours if you and your K-9 compete in the Dream Ride K-9 Challenge. Who Should Attend? All K-9 handlers Law Enforcement, MTA, and Military Personnel Open to all levels beginner to advanced Those interested in professional development and continuing education Why You Should Attend: Earn 16 hours of continuing Police K-9 education. Receive training materials. Our training topics are one of a kind through hands-on learning and demonstrations. Opportunity to network and share new ideas/best practices with other K-9 handlers from around The United States; build your network of vital contacts that can help you grow as a handler or trainer. Meet and train with highly accomplished instructors. Access to one of the best private K-9 training facilities in the state of Connecticut. Learn more about how The Hometown Foundation, Inc. supports this cause Compete in the Annual Dream Ride Police K-9 Challenge; win cash and prizes. Who Will Attend: Elite K-9 Units from around the country such as NYPD, ESU, Task Force One, Hampton Beach, Virginia, and, the New Mexico Border Patrol Police and Military Working Dog Handlers North American Police Working Dog Association Master Trainers and Guest Speakers Friday, August 3, 2018 Program Agenda We re so excited to share this year s program with you! 8:00am - 8:15pm - Opening Kick-Off, Welcome, and Overview Chris Sferruzzo, EVP, Finance, Bozzuto s, Inc. Officer Todd Mona, East Hartford Police Department 8:30am - 9:30am - Workshop 1 Establishing a Solid Foundation and Enhancement of Building Search Techniques, By Officer Todd Mona, East Hartford Police Department 9:30am - 10:30am - Workshop 2 Urban Tracking and Transitioning to Hard Surface, By Tom Hendrickson, Master Trainer, American Society of Canine Trainers 10:30am 11:30am - Workshop 3 Teaching the Out, By William R. Scribner, Master Trainer, North American Police Work Dog Association 11:30am 1:00pm - Overview of 2018 Dream Ride K-9 Challenge/Lunch 1:00pm - 2:00pm - Workshop 4 Understanding the Underlying Concept of E-collar Training, By Kevin Sheldahl, Professor and Retired Deputy Sheriff 2:00pm 3:00pm Workshop 5 Get Social: Promote Your Cause on Social Media, by Social Media Specialist, Bozzuto s, Inc. 3:00pm -5:00pm - Testing 5:00pm - Sessions End, Dinner Saturday, August 4, 2018 10:00am-4:00pm - 2018 Dream Ride Police K-9 Challenge Enjoy your day! All are invited to participate and/or observe. Sunday, August 5, 2018 Enjoy your day at Dream Ride! Invite friends and family members to join the festivities. 2:00pm-4:00pm Closing Ceremonies: Graduation Certificates 1 2
Where to Stay Hotel Accommodations: Avon Old Farms 279 Avon Mountain Road Avon, CT 06001 Telephone Number: 860. 677.1651 I. Establishing a Solid Foundation and Enhancement of Building Search Techniques, By Officer Todd Mona, East Hartford Police Department This class will provide handlers with three essential techniques to apply towards training for building searches with their K-9 partners. Learn how to use each technique to a particular type of dog and helping the K-9 learn a search pattern in a given environment. These techniques will help lead to search patterns where the K-9 can work consistently independent allowing the handler to remain safe behind cover. II. Urban Tracking and Transitioning to Hard Surface, By Tom Hendrickson, Master Trainer, American Society of Canine Trainers This course will cover the importance of hard surface tracking and training tips on how to become more proficient. The course will equip K-9 officers with the terminology, definitions, and techniques to assist them in courtroom testimony involving tracking cases. Courtyard Marriott 1583 Southeast Road Telephone Number: 860.521.7100 Delamar Hotel 1 Memorial Road West Hartford, CT 06107 Telephone Number: 860.937.2500 Hampton Inn & Suites 301 Colt Highway Telephone Number: 860.674.8488 III. Teaching the Out, By William R. Scribner, Master Trainer, North American Police Work Dog Association M.T. Scribner will lead an open discussion on the historical training of police service dogs. The class will cover impediments that prevent a reliable consistent out as well as what methods worked and, more importantly, not worked for us in the past. This training is not designed to sway handlers to or from one type of training but to give each the knowledge, skills, and abilities in their toolbox so they can develop their training plan for their individual dog. IV. Understanding the Underlying Concept of E-collar Training, By Kevin Sheldahl, Professor and Retired Deputy Sheriff Understanding the concepts underlying the use of the electronic training collar for the working police dog. Understanding both the advantage and disadvantages of its application for law enforcement as well as understanding the theories that affect its use. V. Get Social: Promote Your Cause on Social Media, By Kate Mirabella, Social Media Specialist, Bozzuto s, Inc. Hartford Marriott Farmington - Host Hotel 15 Farm Springs Road Telephone Number: 860.678.1000 Homewood Suites by Hilton 2 Farm Glen Road Telephone Number: 860.321.0000 The Farmington Inn 827 Farmington Avenue Telephone Number: 860.677.2821 The Simsbury 1820 House Looking to reach a broader audience? Our marketing expert will show you how to use social media platforms to promote your 731 Hopmeadow Street cause, increase engagement, strengthen your brand, and organize events. Learn the basics of setting up accounts as well as Simsbury, CT 06070 strategic marketing approaches demonstrated through a step-by-step process on multiple sites including Facebook, Twitter, Telephone Number: 860. 658.7658 and Instagram. 3 4
Meet Your Instructors Tom Hendrickson Master Trainer, American Society of Canine Trainers Tom is a Master Trainer with the American Society of Canine Trainers. He has been with the City of Hampton Police Division, VA for 32 years and has spent 28 of those years working and training the dogs for the Division. Tom was assigned as a Patrol / Narcotics detection dog handler assigned to the SWAT team earlier in his career. Tom has worked five dogs throughout his career; three German Shepherds (Patrol / narcotics) and two Bloodhounds. His current K-9 partner is Buckshot (Bloodhound): trained and certified as a tracker and a certified therapy dog. Currently, Tom has ten dog teams that he is in charge of ranging from criminal apprehension, narcotics detection, explosive detection and search and rescue. He is tasked not only with the Division s dogs and training needs but, he also facilitates training for some of the surrounding jurisdictions including Military and State Police K-9s assigned in his area. Training Background: Extensive background in all aspects of police dog training, K-9 TTLS Tactical Trauma, and Life Saving. Tom has taught several advanced explosive and narcotics seminars, K-9 Unit Liability and record keeping. He has an extensive background in canine neuroscience and is recognized by the courts as an expert for testimony in the use of the Bloodhound & explosive and narcotics detection dogs. While the Police Division K-9 program is Tom s primary responsibility, he is also tasked as a firearms instructor, defensive tactics instructor, TTLS instructor, and is the lead Taser instructor. Tom shares his life passion for dog training with his wife Becky (certified civilian dog trainer) and is the owner of On Command Dog Training LLC in Yorktown, VA. Kate Mirabella Social Media Specialist, Bozzuto s, Inc. Kate is an experienced New Media Marketer, with a history in multiple industries, such as political campaigns, nonprofit organizations, music, automotive, and retail. Getting her start at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, CT, she obtained her B.A. in English with a minor in American Studies. After graduating in 2015, Kate continued her education at Southern New Hampshire University to obtain her Master s Degree in Communications, New Media, and Marketing. Since the start of her graduate career, she has excelled in Social Media Marketing, Journalism, and Event Planning. Specializing in Paid Advertising, this social media guru loves to work with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube. Kate is currently the Social Media Specialist at Bozzuto s, Inc. in Cheshire, CT. Officer Mona has conducted two 480 hour K-9 academies as well as building search classes for municipalities in the state. Officer Mona and K-9 Casus also completed an Explosive academy. In the past 12 years Officer Mona and his K-9 partners have logged 2600 hours of training through the East Hartford Connecticut Police Department. William Scribner Master Trainer, North American Police Work Dog Association Lieutenant William Scribner (retired) has been involved in the training of police service dogs for 40 years. He began his career as a professional dog trainer after completing a 6-month instructor s course in 1978 at a private K-9 training facility in Newtown, Connecticut. This facility, Canine Security, offered a comprehensive instructor s course covering all aspects of K-9 behavior including: obedience, behavior modification, personal protection, security work, police patrol, narcotic, and explosive detection. Upon completing the course, Bill was hired as a full- time instructor, a position he held until 1985. In those seven years, Bill instructed, through group and private lessons, over 1600 dogs of almost every AKC recognized breed, including K-9 teams from municipal, county, and state law enforcement agencies across the nation. 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 active in selecting, testing, and training over 240 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 Explosive Detection. As one of 65 accredited Master Trainers in the U.S., Bill can act as an examiner, testing, and certifying Police Service Dog Teams. Kevin Sheldahl Professor and Retired Deputy Sheriff Kevin Sheldahl is a retired Deputy Sheriff who began training with police service dogs in 1982. In his career, he trained K-9 Teams for his department as well as neighboring departments as a Deputy Sheriff. He has experience deploying patrol, detection, SWAT, and tracking canines spanning the duration of his career. He is credentialed as a Master Instructor, Certifying Official, and Police Dog Judge. He has taught more than fifty courses as lead instructor in detection and patrol. In his K-9 Service business, Kevin has trained well over 300 K-9 Teams from a selection of the canine and human candidate to street ready K-9 Teams. Kevin is a well-known seminar instructor, speaker, and law enforcement instructor. In his personal life, Kevin has participated in numerous dog sports such as Schutzhund/IPO where he has been the training director for more than 20 years. He also participates in ring sport and police sports. Todd Mona Officer, East Hartford Police Department Officer Todd Mona began his K-9 career in 2006 and graduated from the 125th Training Troop through Connecticut State Police K-9 Academy. With his first partner, Primo he won several awards at the K-9 Olympics including 1st place, 3rd place, top obedience, top criminal apprehension and top tactical obedience. He also received the Daniel Wassen Memorial Award twice. Kevin is a frequent presenter on subjects such as electronic training collars, detection, and patrol, as well as selection testing. He has 35 years of experience in these fields to reference and makes use of the experience he, as well as his numerous students, have had to provide an in-depth study of the use and training of police service dogs of all types. Kevin is a certified police service dog judge, an evaluator for a national police dog organization, and an experienced competitor in both civilian and police canine sports. He has authored several articles for Law Officer Magazine, Calibre Press and Police K-9 Magazine as well as having developed curriculum for handler instruction. Kevin has also acted as an expert witness for various law enforcement entities and as a subject matter expert for various organizations such as the US Embassy to Colombia in Bogota. In 2014, Officer Mona was selected and tested for a Maintenance Trainer position through the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association by several Master Trainers in CT. Since becoming a Maintenance Trainer, he has bred a litter of Dutch and Czech dogs. Officer Mona then selected the alpha puppy from the litter and raised him as a prospect for his next Currently, Kevin instructs courses in Basic Patrol & Detection in the Albuquerque Metro Area and teaches several partner. In 2015, Officer Mona held his first K-9 training academy at which time he also went through and graduated courses at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, Wisconsin. Kevin can also be found at various events as a guest with his new partner, K-9 Casus-Belli from the liter. K-9 Casus has also won several awards in police K-9 competitions instructor around the US and other countries. over the past two and a half years of being on patrol. 5 6
Sponsors & Community Partners Fred R. & Hazel W. Carstensen Memorial Foundation, Inc.