Georgia National Fairgrounds Perry, GA

The Conference

Registration

Nov. 18, 2019

08:30 am

Nov. 19, 2019

Nov. 20, 2019

08:30 am

PackTrack - Record Keeping Overview and Q&A

Practical Exercises

10:30 am

We Ride to Provide - Paying Tribute

to Those Lost, by Providing for Those Left Behind

Nov. 21, 2019

08:30 am

Certifications

09:00 am

Instructors

Mr. Devaney has been involved in the training of police service dogs since August of 1980 at the Public School’s Police Department in Albuquerque New Mexico.  In March of 1991, Mr. Devaney took a position of Chief of Instruction for the Alabama Canine Law Enforcement Officers Training Center, a division of Shelton State Community College, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. While there, he wrote the curriculum and standards leading to this program becoming one of the first college accredited schools in canine law enforcement.  In May of 1992, Mr. Devaney took his current position as the Canine Training Coordinator for the Border Patrol National Canine Facility, now called the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Canine Program. In this capacity, Mr. Devaney has served as the principal author of the original Border Patrol and current CBP canine training programs in multiple disciplines.  Mr. Devaney holds the position of Master Trainer and Education Committee Chairman for the North American Police Work Dog Association and is a two-time recipient of the Master Trainer of the Year Award in 2007and 2016.

Matthew B. Devaney

Jim Hopper

Mr. Jim Hopper started his career as a Police Officer in the State of New Mexico. His career includes 21 years of experience as a police officer, 20 years as a Canine Handler and 17 years as a Canine Instructor. He also worked in an undercover capacity for approximately 14 years throughout the state of New Mexico.  Based on his knowledge and experience in 2002 Mr. Hopper became an Adjunct Instructor for the Jurisdictional Drug Task Force Training in St. Petersburg, Florida. Mr. Hopper provided instruction and training to Law Enforcement Agencies throughout the United States including: Canine Handler, Street Level Criminal Interdiction, Highway Criminal Interdiction, Parcel Criminal Interdiction, Use of Informants, Interviews and Interrogations, Court Room Testimony, Clandestine Laboratory identification and investigation, and Criminal Case Law.

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In 2007 Mr. Hopper left his Law Enforcement Career and became an Instructor at what was then titled The National Canine Facility now titled Canine Center El Paso. Mr. Hopper currently provides training to US Customs and Border Protection Officers as well as other Law Enforcement Agencies in: Narcotics and Concealed Human detection, Currency and firearms, Human Remains, Tracking and trailing, Search and Rescue, and Court Room Testimony.

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Mr. Hopper is one of 2 instructors selected to provide instruction, on the job training, develop curriculum, and provide training to handlers, instructors and canines for The Government of Tanzania in Africa. This resulted in the Tanzania Police Department implementing their first Ivory Detection Canine Unit in the country.

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Mr. Hopper has received numerous certificates and awards including Police Officer of the month for the Albuquerque Police Department, New Mexico Crime Stoppers Police officer of the year award, and The U.S. Border Patrol “Top Dog” award for highest academic standing in Canine instructor school. 

Andrew Voss

Andrew Voss began his law enforcement career as a SWAT Paramedic/Operator with Hamilton County EMS on the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) SWAT team. This is where Voss realized he was in the wrong career as a paramedic and moved to work as a full-time deputy with HCSO. As a deputy, Voss found that he had a talent for criminal interdiction and was assigned to the HCSO K9 and Criminal Interdiction Unit, where he is currently working. Voss has been instrumental in multiple large cartel seizures as well as multi-mile felony tracks with successful physical and non-physical (detains) apprehensions. Voss has worked 2 dogs within the unit and is the Polizeischutzhundprufung (PSP) based trainer/instructor for the unit. Voss leads maintenance training for numerous agencies within Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama.

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Voss’s passion within the HCSO K9 Criminal Interdiction Unit is high risk tracking/apprehensions and criminal interdiction. He is always training and attempting to better HCSO’s K9 unit and the K9 units that train with them. His goal is to achieve safer, better felony apprehensions and higher yields from interdiction stops on the interstate.  Voss in known for his “outside the box” thinking in training, and not only pushes handlers minds and skills, but also pushes the canines; driving each in their knowledge and skills to improve the dog/handler team.

Assistant Chief Rob Lukason’s federal service began with 8 years in the United States Navy ending in 1992. Following military service, Lukason became an Immigration Detention Enforcement Officer assigned to the Livermore Border Patrol Sector. Lukason became a Border Patrol Agent in 1996 and was assigned to the San Clemente, California Border Patrol Station.
 

After a few years in the field, Lukason was designated as a Detection canine handler for San Clemente, California, attending Canine Handler class # 29. In 2002, Lukason was selected to attend the Border Patrol’s Canine Instructor course, in El Paso, Texas, in which he graduated as “Top Dog” for Canine Instructor class #25. After graduating instructor school, Lukason served as a canine instructor for the El Centro Border Patrol Sector’s canine unit until 2004.
In 2004, Lukason transferred to Tucson, Arizona Border Patrol Sector where he was selected to be the Sector’s Canine Coordinator, responsible for the training and certification of the Tucson Sector’s 80 detection canine teams.
 

Lukason was promoted in 2006 to a permanent Supervisory Border Patrol Agent/Course Development Instructor position at the Customs and Border Protection’s Canine Center El Paso. In 2009, Lukason was promoted to a GS-14, Training Operations Supervisor. As a TOS, Lukason is responsible for all canine training and delivery operations at the Canine Center El Paso. Lukason is a multiple disciplined canine instructor holding certifications in Human/Narcotic Detection and Patrol.
 

In 2014, Lukason was promoted to the position of Assistant Chief Patrol Agent in Washington DC, where he is currently the USBP K9 Program Manager for all canine assets.
Lukason has been a K9 Judge for several events including the Western States Police Fire Olympics, the Friends of Las Vegas K9 event in Las Vegas, Desert Dog K9 Trials in Scottsdale, AZ., and several of NPCA’s annual competitions. Lukason has attended over 70 law enforcement K9 training events/seminars, in where he teaches and speaks on a regular basis.
 

Lukason was the South West Regional Director for the National Police Canine Association in 2011, as well as a certifying official and instructor; Lukason is currently a member of the NPCA’s Training Staff which coordinates and plans the association’s annual seminar/competition. In addition, Lukason is also a narcotic certifying official for the National Narcotic Detector Dog Association and the California Narcotic Canine Association.
 

Lukason has taught various K9 related classes at the HITS, CNCA, NPCA, Pacific North West K9 Association, International Narcotic Interdiction Association (Sky Narc), and NNDDA’s national seminars; in addition, Lukason was the Associate Editor for Police K9 Magazine from 2010 to 2014 in where, he wrote multiple canine training articles that were published

Rob Lukason

Lodging

La Quinta Inn              $89.00 +tax

102 Plaza Drive

Perry, GA 31069

(478) 224-0999

Microtel Inn                 $87.00 +tax

110 Fairview Drive

Perry, GA 31069

​(478) 287-4399