Austin P. Moon

Austin & K-9 "Syrus" on a NARC Boat Mission

Email: austin@tripwireops.org

Austin has served as a K9 officer since 1999.  He first began his career as a Military Working Dog Handler in the US Army where he went to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, as a patrol and detection K9 handler. Later, Austin began working at Fort Benning, Georgia where he handled a number of dual purpose K9's. There in Georgia he worked with multiple agencies such as Opelika Police Department, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, and many others. Austin also increased his knowledge by attending the Montgomery Police K9 seminar. Also he trained many green dogs and placed them in surrounding agencies as explosive or narcotic K9's or dual purpose K9's. He then moved on to Virginia where he is employed by Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office.

Austin attended the Virginia Center Policing Institute where the main objective of the school is to understand, investigate and interdict terrorism. He is a certified Dual Purpose Narcotics and Explosives K9 officer and completed the Richmond Police and FBI Introduction to Improvised Explosive Devices Course. Austin is also a Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services General Instructor and teaches at the Hampton Roads Criminal Justice Training Academy.

Austin has attended the New Mexico Tech Initial Law Enforcement Response to Suicide Bombing Attacks and the New Mexico Tech Incident Response to Terrorist Bombings. He even attended the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services Homeland Security IED Awareness for First Responders and actively works an explosive and dual purpose narcotic K9 for the Middlesex Sheriff's Office. He has responded to bomb threats, conducting explosive sweeps for VIP’s and major festivals in the military and civilian application. Austin also has held schools to train other agencies K9’s and handlers. He heads training with military agencies during their maintenance training and serves as an instructor at a Virginia Police Work Dog Association K9 school.

List of Accomplishments, Training, and Seminars

1998-2003 – U.S. Army

1998 – U.S. Army Military Police School

1999 – Military Working Dog Handler School

1999 – Certificate of Appreciation in certifying a Narcotic Detector Dog for the MWD Program

1999-2003 – Stationed at Fort Benning, GA; Completed various missions and searches

2001 – Montgomery Alabama Police Department Patrol, Tracking, and Narcotics Detection Seminar

2001 – Schutzhund helper for South Metro Atlanta Schutzhund Club

2003 – Training Director for South Metro Richmond Schutzhund Club and helper

2004 – Training Director for the Hampton Roads Schutzhund Club and helper

2005 – Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services Law Enforcement Officer

2006 – John E. Reid and Associates Street Crimes

2006 – NAPWDA Certification in Aggression Control and Obedience with Syrus

2006 – Virginia Police Work Dog Association Certification with K9 Syrus in Aggression Control and Obedience

2007 – Virginia Police Work Dog Association Certification with K9 Syrus in Narcotics

2007 – NAPWDA Certification in Narcotics with Syrus

2007 – VCPI Patrol Drug Interdiction

2007 – VCPI Advance Search and Seizure

2007 – Department of Homeland Security Drug Law Enforcement School for Patrol Officers

2007 – Virginia Police Work Dog Association Workshop

2007 – VCPI Terrorism: Understand, Investigate and Interdict

2007 – Virginia Police Work Dog Association Certification with K9 Syrus in Utility

2008 – Virginia Police Work Dog Association Certification with K9 Syrus in Narcotics

2008 – Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services School Resource Officer Training

2008 – Virginia Police Work Dog Association Certification with K9 Syrus in Utility

2009 – Virginia Police Work Dog Association Certification with K9 Andy in Explosives

2009 – Richmond Police and FBI Introduction to Improvised Explosives Course

2009 – Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services General Instructor Class

2009 – New Mexico Tech Initial Law Enforcement Response to Suicide Bombing Attacks

2010 – Virginia Police Work Dog Association Certification with K9 Syrus in Utility

2010 – Virginia Police Work Dog Association Certification with K9 Syrus in Narcotics

2010 – Virginia Police Work Dog Association Certification with K9 Andy in Explosives

2010 – New Mexico Tech Incident Response to Terrorist Bombings Train the Trainer

2010 – K9 Cop Magazine Police and Military Working Dog Conference

2011 – Virginia Police Work Dog Association Certification with K9 Syrus in Utility

2011 – Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services Homeland Security IED Awareness for First Responders.