Executive Board

Dave Peterson serves as Chairman of the National Police Canine Association’s Standards Committee, helping oversee the professional standards that guide NPCA certification and canine teams nationwide.

Dave brings extensive experience in police K-9 operations and professional canine organizations. He served with the Norwalk Police Department in Connecticut as a K-9 officer and handler, partnering with his canine Rainor. Their work included patrol, tracking, and real-world deployments throughout the community.

Dave has also been actively involved in the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association, serving in leadership and helping provide training and resources to K-9 handlers throughout Connecticut.

As Chairman of the NPCA Standards Committee, Dave plays an important role in maintaining the organization's commitment to credible certification, professional standards, and operationally sound police K-9 teams.

 Ryan Fuxa brings extensive law enforcement and K-9 experience to the National Police Canine Association (NPCA), where he serves as the Northeast representative on the NPCA Standards Committee.

Ryan is a former Enid Police Department officer and K-9 handler, where he partnered with K-9 Rex. Their work included narcotics detection and tracking, and Rex was credited with hundreds of arrests and significant narcotics and currency seizures during his career.

Ryan has been involved with NPCA for many years and has contributed to the organization's certification and standards process. NPCA records dating back to 2018 identify him as a member of the Standards Committee, reflecting his longstanding commitment to maintaining realistic and professional standards for working police K-9 teams.

His combination of real-world K-9 experience, law enforcement leadership, and certification knowledge makes Ryan an important part of the NPCA team and its mission to maintain credible, street-realistic standards for police service dogs.

Ryan Skinner serves as the North Central representative on the National Police Canine Association (NPCA) Standards Committee, helping maintain and advance the professional standards used to evaluate police K-9 teams.

Ryan is a Master Police Officer and K-9 handler with the Shawnee Police Department in Kansas. His K-9 experience includes training and working patrol and detection canines. He was involved in the basic training of K-9 Dagger, who went on to earn NPCA certifications in explosives detection and patrol skills.

Ryan has also been recognized by the NPCA as a Certifying Official, Instructor, and Trainer, demonstrating his commitment to developing professional K-9 teams and maintaining high standards within the industry.

His combination of real-world K-9 experience, training expertise, and certification knowledge makes Ryan an important part of the NPCA Standards Committee and its mission to provide credible, practical standards for police canine teams.

Art Lopez serves as the Northwest representative on the National Police Canine Association (NPCA) Standards Committee. The NPCA lists him alongside the organization’s other regional standards representatives, helping support consistent and professional K-9 certification standards nationwide. 

Art has extensive experience in police K-9 training and certification, including teaching and evaluating police canine teams. His expertise has been featured in Police K-9 Magazine, where he contributed to training-focused discussions alongside other recognized K-9 professionals. 

His involvement in NPCA standards reflects a commitment to practical training, credible certification, and maintaining high professional expectations for working police K-9 teams.

 Frank Glover brings decades of police K-9 experience to the National Police Canine Association (NPCA), where he serves as the Southeast representative on the NPCA Standards Committee.

Frank spent more than 20 years with the Lee County Sheriff's Office in Florida, serving as a K-9 handler, trainer, and Lieutenant overseeing the agency's K-9 Unit. At one point, he was responsible for a 25-dog unit and had more than 15 years of hands-on K-9 experience.

Throughout his career, Frank has worked with patrol and detection K-9s and has been involved in real-world tracking, apprehension, evidence searches, and K-9 training. His career also included the tragic loss of his partner, K-9 Alko, who was killed in the line of duty while tracking a fleeing suspect in 2003.

Frank has also been a longtime member of the NPCA, contributing to standards, training, certification, and courtroom preparation for professional K-9 teams. NPCA records show his longstanding involvement with the Standards Committee.

 Paul Koinig serves as the South Central representative on the National Police Canine Association (NPCA) Standards Committee. The NPCA lists him in this role alongside the association’s other regional standards representatives. 

Paul is a retired Corporal with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, where he spent many years in the agency’s K-9 Unit and served as the lead explosives-detection K-9 handler. He later served as commander of the agency’s Bomb Squad. 

His expertise extends well beyond traditional patrol K-9 work. Paul has served as an NPCA instructor, including providing instruction and evaluating explosive-detection canine teams. U.S. Air Force coverage documents his work training teams during explosives searches with military working dogs. 

Paul's extensive experience in explosives detection, K-9 operations, training, and certification makes him a valuable member of the NPCA Standards Committee and a strong representative for the South Central region.

 Andrew Carlsson brings more than two decades of law enforcement and police K-9 experience to the National Police Canine Association (NPCA), where he serves as the Southwest representative on the Standards Committee.

Andrew spent nearly 24 years with the Phoenix Police Department, including 14 years as a K-9 handler. During his career, he worked multiple dual-purpose K-9s and served as one of Phoenix PD's SWAT K-9 handlers, gaining extensive experience in tactical deployments and real-world K-9 operations.

Andrew has also been deeply involved in K-9 training and professional development. He has been an active member of the Arizona Law Enforcement Canine Association (ALECA) since 2005, serving in several leadership positions, including Secretary and President, and currently serves as its Director of Operations.

His NPCA experience includes helping organize national seminars, serving on the Training Division, and participating in tactical debriefing and scenario-based training designed around real-world K-9 deployments.

Andrew's combination of tactical K-9 experience, training expertise, and standards knowledge makes him a valuable part of the NPCA Standards Committee and its mission to maintain credible, practical standards for police K-9 teams.

 Daryl Gaunt brings more than four decades of working-dog and law enforcement experience to the National Police Canine Association (NPCA), where he serves as the West Coast representative on the NPCA Standards Committee.

Daryl began working with working dogs in 1978, later serving eight years in the U.S. Army, including four years as a military working-dog handler. He spent nearly 30 years with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, serving in the Special Enforcement Bureau K-9 Unit from 2003 until his retirement in 2020. He worked three SWAT/patrol K-9s, including one cross-trained for explosives detection.

As a K-9 trainer and instructor, Daryl helped establish a Tactical K-9 school, worked as an instructor with Adlerhorst International, and has certified hundreds of canine teams across the country. He is also a California POST evaluator and has instructed military and civilian K-9 teams both nationally and internationally.

Daryl previously served as the NPCA West Coast Regional Director from 2017–2020 and remains active with the association. His expertise in tactical K-9 operations, training, certification, and real-world deployments makes him a valuable member of the NPCA Standards Committee.