2023 SORT Seminar Instructor Bios
Instructors for Air Scent
Catherine Louis
Catherine Louis has been a member of Wake Canine Search and Rescue team since 2003. She currently serving as team trainer and K9 handler and working her scent-specific Malinois named Viga. Her duties at WCSAR include maintaining a ‘Continuous Improvement’ focus to ensure qualified search responders and dog/handler teams to assist in the search for missing persons. Catherine has been an
instructor in SAR for a number of years. Below are a list of seminars Catherine has taught at:
- Suburban SAR Raleigh NC planned for April 2023
- Suburban SAR Hendersonville NC 2022 with NCEM
- MISAR conference 2019 Scent Specific Air Scent
- Rogue Valley 2017 Scent Specific Air Scent
- CSAR 2017 Ohio Scent Specific Air Scent
- CSAR 2015 Alabama Scent specific Air Scent
- Suburban SAR 2014- Hendersonville with NCEM
- Suburban SAR 2013- Dupont NC with NCEM
- WASAR 2012 Scent Specific Air Scent with GAK9
- WASAR 2011 Scent Specific Air Scent with GAK9
- Scent Specific Air Instructor for 2010 NSDA Conference in Cody, Wyoming.
Co-presenster for NASAR conference with NWS and WCSAR 2012 all about partnering with the national weather service for better wind/weather information for SAR callouts.
Instructors for HRD
Brian Flynn
Brian Flynn is the owner of a veterinarian hospital and a retired Texas Task Force 1 Canine Search Specialist. Brian’s interest in working with K9’s began over 20 years ago during his time working at the medical examiner’s office. His background in forensic science merges
seamlessly with the search and rescue community.
Brian spent many years training dogs for obedience and creating well balanced dogs that could serve as family dogs and working dogs. He regularly works with patrol K9’s to help handlers problem solve and help them use their partner to its fullest potential.
Brian’s interest is the realm of HRD. Brian’s first working K9 Dante was a doberman who served on TTF1. Brian also had a German Shepherd, Sarge, who also served TTF1 for many years. Brian and Sarge were deployed to numerous disaster areas both in and outside of Texas.
Brian has been a member of Search One since 2003 and has served as the Human Remains director, flanker, K9 handler, and search manager.
David Brownell
David A. Brownell is the Director of Canine Training with Ground Zero Emergency Training Center. Mr. Brownell brings over 40 years of local, national, and international experience in canine training, canine program management, security and emergency operations to the company. He has 16 1/2 years experience working in Iraq and other high threat environments. For almost six years, he served as the Canine Program Manager and Senior Canine Trainer for G4S/RONCO in Iraq and the Mideast region. In this capacity, Mr. Brownell was responsible for setting up and managing canine detector programs throughout the region for clients to include the Iraqi government, the US government, the United Nations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and commercial oil, natural gas, and petrochemical concerns. He managed the training of hundreds of detector dog teams during this period. His background also includes prolonged stints as a US Army MP canine handler, a Schutzhund handler, a US FEMA disaster dog handler, and a SAR and HRD handler and trainer with a Dallas, Texas search organization.
Mr. Brownell is also a certified Texas Police Instructor and has instructed and evaluated hundreds of Detector, SAR, disaster, and HRD dog teams at all levels, and taught numerous personnel at a myriad of canine seminars. Additionally, he has assisted in the development of detector dog programs and written standards for citizen, police, and government organizations.
Mr. Brownell is well respected in the national and international canine detector community. He coauthored the Brownell-Marsolais Scale, an evaluation and screening instrument for the selection of search and detection canine candidates.
Instructors for Trailing
Bill Force
bio coming soon
Taylor Bracken
C. Taylor Bracken is a current state law enforcement officer assigned to the agency’s K-9 Unit. At his home agency, Taylor handles two canines daily, serving as a narcotics detection handler and scent specific tracking/trailing handler. Taylor has had several K-9 related articles published in magazines such as “Police K-9”, “K-9 Cop” and the “Tactical Edge”. Taylor is an 18 year Nationally Registered Paramedic and still works as one today. Taylor wrote the training course, “K-9 Medical Operator Program” and is the lead instructor for that course for the training company R.A.N.T. Strategies. Prior to his law enforcement career, Taylor was a New York City Firefighter where he worked in Manhattan.