Module I – Chemical Agent Instructor Recertification

Don Kester served more than 23 years with the Pima County (AZ) Sheriff’s Department, retiring in 2015. His assignments with the department included training director, patrol district commander, special operations, tactical response and staff services section commander, as well as the support operations and criminal investigations division commander.  Don’s SWAT experience spans the majority of his career. He served as a trainer, SWAT team operator, team leader, team sergeant and SWAT commander. He is certified as a chemical agents, FSDD and less-lethal instructor, as well as a master Taser instructor. He is also a firearms, defensive tactics and use-of-force instructor, and teaches many other specialties such as rapid deployment, warrant service, hostage rescue, TEMS, incident command and leadership. He has authored several articles on such topics.  Don has served as a use-of-force consultant/expert on cases in superior and federal court, and he has served on the Law and Legal and Defensive Tactics subject matter expert committees for the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board (POST). He was a delegate to the International Law Enforcement Forum (ILEF) for Minimal Force Options as well as on the Advisory Council for the Office of Law Enforcement Technology Commercialization (OLETC) and as a member of the SWAT Technical Support Working Group (TSWG).  Don was the Less-Lethal Section Chair for the NTOA from 2001 until 2008, and then served seven years as a member of the NTOA Board of Directors. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Arizona and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.  Don is currently the Director of Training and Education for the NTOA.

Ed Allen is a lifelong resident of Seminole County, Florida and holds a Bachelors Degree in Applied Behavioral Science. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, Session 242. He served for 29 years with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office (FL) to include 20 years on SWAT. During his career, he held command positions within the agency’s Patrol, Special Operations and Domestic Security Divisions and retired as the Major over the Department of Law Enforcement. He is a Certified Emergency Manager through the International Association of Emergency Managers. Ed is a Florida certified law enforcement instructor and Adjunct Professor at Seminole State College. Ed is an NTOA Lead Instructor, prior Board Member and currently the Training Program Manager.

David Pearson is a Lieutenant with Fort Collins Police Services in Colorado and is currently the Commander of the Northern Colorado Drug Task Force. He has been with Fort Collins since 1995 and has been a police officer since 1990. He was promoted to Sergeant in 1998 and then to Lieutenant in 2011. As a sergeant he held a collateral duty assignment as a team leader on the FCPS SWAT team. During his career, Lt. Pearson has provided instruction in Defensive Tactics, Tactical Firearms, Mobile Field Force, Incident Command, Active Shooter, and High-Risk Patrol Tactics. Since 2005, Lt. Pearson has been an instructor with the NTOA and is the current Less Lethal Section Chair. During his time with the NTOA he has provided instruction in Less Lethal technology, FSDDs, and chemical agents; Basic/Advanced SWAT tactics; Civil Disturbance; Active Shooter Tactics, and the SWAT Team Leader Development course. Lt. Pearson has been awarded the Medal of Valor for actions in both patrol and SWAT. He also was awarded a Life-Saving medal for actions during a major flood.