LOU CASTLE - ABOUT LOU

About Lou Castle

I'm a retired Sergeant who worked for two police agencies in the Los Angeles area of California for nearly 30 years. I spent one year as a Reserve Police Officer and three years as a full-time Police Officer at Azusa PD, and the remainder of my time at the Culver City PD in the City of Culver City. In addition to working as a patrol Officer, I've worked many specialized assignments including as a K-9 handler, K-9 Trainer and Instructor, as a Traffic Officer, in Vice and Narcotics, SWAT, Detectives, as an investigator on SIT (a liability/shooting investigation team), Field Training Officer, Personnel and Training, and Department Rangemaster and Use of Force Instructor.

In 1979 the Culver City Police Department started a K-9 unit, the fourth agency in the Los Angeles area to do so in modern times, and I was selected to be one of the department's first three handlers. I worked as a handler for 5 1/2 years and then my dog retired. On my Department all assignments rotate so I transferred to another assignment; but for the next 15 years or so, no matter what assignment I worked, on K-9 training nights, I'd go out and serve as the in-house K-9 Trainer for the Department. Then I was injured and had to move on. About a year later, for the first time since the K-9 unit had been started, the Department hired an outside trainer to maintain the K-9’s.

Articles I've written have been published in Dog Sports Magazine, where for several years I was a Contributing Editor on Police Dogs, SAR Dog Alert, the newsletter of NASAR (National Association of Search and Rescue) Cycling Magazine and many other publications.

I'm certified as an Instructor for the side-handled baton, the straight baton, the MP–5 Sub Machine Gun, Handguns, Shotguns and Rifles. I'm also a POST Certified Evaluator for Police Service Dogs.

I'm a co–founder, past President and Vice–President of the LACPCA (Los Angeles County Police Canine Association), a non–profit organization that does training for Police Service Dog handlers. I'm a former member of the South Bay K-9 Handler's Association and DAD/DAC (Dogs Against Drugs/Dogs Against Crime); I'm a past Vice–President of a USPCA region (United States Police Canine Association).

In 1996 I started doing seminars for training PSD's, SAR dog handlers and pet dog owners. Since then I've done 41 seminars and workshops in 18 states, 33 cities and three foreign countries.

I presently serve as a legal consultant on K-9 matters and as an instructor at K-9 seminars across the U.S. and in Europe. I also train Police Service Dogs, SAR dogs and pets.