Dave is an experienced Police Canine Handler and Trainer with 10 years’ experience as a K9 Handler, 4 years as a K9 Trainer and over 30 years in Law Enforcement. He is certified as a Canine Trainer and is currently working on a second trainer certification. He also holds a certification as a Law Enforcement General Instructor with past certifications as a Physical Fitness Instructor, PPCT Defensive Tactics, Ground Fighting and Edge Weapons Defense Instructor. Dave also received an Advanced Law Enforcement Certificate from the state of North Carolina. During his time as a K9 Trainer, Dave has trained and assisted in training several K9’s and Handlers in eastern North Carolina. Dave also is a sitting board member for the North Carolina Police Dog Association and also holds a position as an evaluator for the NCPDA as well.
During his 30 plus years of experience, Dave served in the US Army as a Military Policeman where he conducted numerous Law Enforcement, Security, Battlefield Circulation and Control, and Civil Disorder Missions. He participated in the 50 th Anniversary of the D-Day Invasion of Normandy, and also the 1994 Olympic Games in
Atlanta GA. Dave served 8 years in the Army and obtained the rank of Sergeant.
Dave also served 4.5 years as a Corrections Officer with NC Division of Prisons where he was a member of the Prison Emergency Response Team (PERT), a Specialized Housing Officer and also an Acting Sergeant in the absence of a Sergeant/Supervisor.
For the past 21.5 years, Dave has been a member of the East Carolina University Police Department in Greenville NC. During his time there, Dave performed duties as a Patrol Officer, Shift Supervisor. Emergency Response Team (Team Leader) and Explosive K9 Handler. As an Explosive K9 Handler, Dave assisted throughout eastern NC with Bomb Threats, preventative K9 sweeps, and assisted in training 2 additional K9 Teams for the department. Dave has worked closely with multiple departments to include Pitt County Sheriff’s Office, Greenville Police Department, Pitt County Probation and Parole, NC State University, The NC State Bureau of Investigations, the United States Secret Service and the United States Air Force at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. Dave has had the privilege of working 2 Explosive K9’s while at ECU Police, K9 Marko (retired April 2018), and K9 Koda.
Dave and K9 Koda both retired from the East Carolina University Police Dept. on Nov. 1, 2025, after 7.5 years as a Team and conducting multiple sweeps at ECU for sporting events, concerts, high profile guest speakers, political visitors and U.S. Presidential Campaigns, and also responding to numerous bomb threats throughout eastern and northern NC.