Lieutenant Kevin F. Dillon (Ret) is a twenty-five year veteran law enforcement officer, retired from the Wethersfield, CT Police Department which is a suburb of the state’s capital, Hartford, CT. Lieutenant Dillon has served as Detective Commander, Patrol Commander and training supervisor. A SWAT team member since 1993, he served for six years as a Team Leader and his last 3 years as Commander of the regional thirty-five member SWAT team. (Capitol Region Emergency Services Team).
Lieutenant Dillon is a National Academy graduate of the F.B.I. session 223, (Fall 2005) and is certified by the Force Science Institute for Analysis of Use of Force Incidents and certified by the Institute of Prevention of In-Custody Deaths for Use of force and Agitated States. Lieutenant Dillon is also a certified Litigation Specialist with A.E.L.E. Americans for Effective Law Enforcement
As an instructor of “SWAT” and defensive tactics since 1988, Lieutenant Dillon has developed and teaches his L.O.C.K.U.P. ® (Defensive Tactics) Arrest and Control System. L.O.C.K.U.P. ® is a comprehensive approach, based on gross motor skill concepts, that actually reduces injuries to citizens and police officers. Lieutenant Dillon educates officers about the instinctual physiological and physical responses of the human nervous system during combat. The system is evidence based, court tested, consistent with, and based upon, the legal guidelines governing police use-of-force, and is appropriate as a system for officers, regardless of physical attributes. The system can be retained and deployed with minimal continuation training. Lieutenant Dillon also focuses on the tracking and trending all use of force deployments. To effectively manage use of force you need to effectively measure use of force. The L.O.C.K.U.P. System is being instructed and used by officers within the states FL, CT, RI, MA, ND, MN, MO, MI, SD, AK, CA, AZ, OR, and AR as well as within the countries of France, Canada, Switzerland, Nigeria and Belgium.
Lieutenant Dillon has created single and multiple-day L.O.C.K.U.P. ® (defensive tactics) programs. The intensive nine-day police combat course has been adopted as the “Arrest and Control Instructor” credential for Rhode Island and Connecticut’s Police Officers Standards and Training Council’s instructor certification. The course is the fundamental qualification for teaching in all basic training Academy programs. The program has also been implemented in numerous other state academies and law enforcement, security and civilian agencies. The techniques have been proven to be effective in the street by officers who have been trained. Lieutenant Dillon has also developed and customized courses for specialized units such as Amtrak’s East Coast Counter-Terrorist and police unit.
Lieutenant Dillon developed the L.E.A.D.S. – Law Enforcement Active Diffusion Strategies curriculum in 2007 with the program receiving national recognition. It has been presented to officers in the states of FL, CT, RI, MA, ND, MN, MO, MI, SD, CO, AK, CA, AZ, WY, and NM. The L.E.A.D.S. curriculum has been reviewed and approved by the United States Department of Justice.
The FBI National Academy Associates – 2022 Science and Innovation Award was presented to Lt. Kevin Dillon (ret) internationally recognized law enforcement speaker and trainer. 
The selection committee unanimously selected Lt. Dillon’s L.O.C.K.U.P. ® Arrest and Control Training and L.E.A.D.S. Law Enforcement Active Diffusion Strategies Training Systems over all other nominees as the recipient of the award. The L.O.C.K.U.P. ® training differentiated itself from other Defensive tactics programs being instructed throughout the country. L.O.C.K.U.P. ® is not a technique-based training system but the emphasis is on the actual collection of data on the use of force incidents, and detailed reporting to determine the effectiveness and needs assessments of the officers on the street. The L.E.A.D.S. De-escalation is fully integrated and interleaved with the L.O.C.K.U.P. ® Arrest and Control System. The training is designed to address circumstantial, contextual, or situational engagements. FBI National Academy Associates – Charitable Foundation Award
Lieutenant Dillon has been a practicing martial artist for the past 30 years. He earned a 4th degree Black Belt in Kenpo karate, a 3rd Degree Black Belt in Ju Jitsu, and has studied other systems including Shodokan and Tae Kwon Do. L.O.C.K.U.P. ® is a certified “Police Combat System”. Lieutenant Dillon was also inducted into the United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame as Law Enforcement Instructor of the Year in 2005.
Lieutenant Dillon is a “Certified Law Enforcement Instructor” in multiple states for various firearms, impact weapons and less-lethal control devices, Use of Force and Supervision and Leadership. In addition to the State of Connecticut Arrest and Control Program, he also developed the Triple Instructor Certification Handcuffing, Oleoresin Capsicum, and Police Baton curriculum.
Lieutenant Dillon has appeared on numerous videos including Sequential Opportunity of Kenpo Karate series, Encyclopedia of Self Defense Video/DVD and has written and released his own video/DVD series called Police Combat Tactics Volumes 1 and 2 based on his L.O.C.K.U.P. ® empty hand fighting principals. Police Combat Tactics was listed as one of the top-ten best sellers of Turtle Press.
Lieutenant Dillon has appeared on CNN, NPR and other radio talk shows. He is an expert contributor and columnist to PoliceOne.com, Police Magazine.com and In the Line of Duty.com. Lieutenant Dillon was s selected by Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman (Ret) (author of the Bullet-Proof Mind and the Pulitzer nominated On Killing) to consult on his continuing research published as On Combat and to conduct team presentations with him in on Bulletproof Mind Strategies and Tactics.
Lieutenant Dillon, a highly sought after speaker and trainer, has trained and consulted law enforcement use of force issues / programs throughout North America and Europe. He has presented at numerous conferences such as the Daigle Use of Force Summit, International Association of Chief of Police (I.A.C.P.), FBI NA Chapters / L.E.E.D.A. and FBI Command College. The Commission of Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (C.A.L.E.A.®), Wyoming, New Mexico Sheriffs, St. Louis MO and many more. Lieutenant Dillon is also founder and president of KFD Training &Consultation LLC and www.LockupPoliceTraining.com, his company seeks to provide the highest level of professional law enforcement, security training, and use of force consultation for the past 20 years.
Lieutenant Dillon has significant civilian training programs on Responding to Human Aggression and Conflict Resolution. His Award winning L.E.A.D.S. has civilian a component, Workplace Active Diffusion Strategies which is being used throughout corporate and state business across the country. www.DiffusionStrategies.com