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
Since 1988, Lt. Dillon has been an instructor in police practices and police defensive tactics. He is the developer of the L.O.C.K.U.P.® Police Training System (Law Officers Combat Kinetics, Unarmed Panoply), a comprehensive, program based on proven practices emphasizing gross motor skills to reduce injuries to officers and citizens. In 2004, L.O.C.K.U.P.® was adopted as the state-certified defensive tactics system for all Connecticut police academies and has since been implemented in over 20 states and internationally in Canada, France, Switzerland, Saipan, and Belgium.
In 2007, Lt. Dillon developed a second nationally recognized program, L.E.A.D.S.™ (Law Enforcement Active De-escalation Strategies). This curriculum, approved by the U.S. Department of Justice for agencies under federal consent decrees, has been delivered to officers in over 37 states, from Alaska to Hawaii. Recently researched by Leon County FL and North Florida University. Research revealed retainability by officers trained and effectively used in the field!
Lt. Dillon has been featured on CNN, NPR, and other media outlets. He is an expert contributor to PoliceOne.com, Police Magazine, and In the Line of Duty, and has authored the widely acclaimed video/DVD series Police Combat Tactics Volumes 1 and 2, based on L.O.C.K.U.P.® principles. In 2005, Lt. Dillon was inducted into the United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame for the development of the L.O.C.K.U.P. ® Arrest and Control System
In 2022, Lt. Dillon was honored with the FBI National Academy Associates Science and Innovation Award for his development and implementation of the L.O.C.K.U.P.® Arrest and Control System and the L.E.A.D.S.™ De-escalation Strategies program. These programs stand out for their emphasis on data-driven decision-making, the collection and analysis of use-of-force incidents, and actionable needs assessments to improve officer performance and accountability. The L.E.A.D.S.™ curriculum is fully integrated with L.O.C.K.U.P.® to address circumstantial, contextual, and situational engagements.
Lt. Dillon is the founder and principal of KFD Training & Consultation LLC, which has provided premier training and consultation services for law enforcement, corrections, and civilian professionals for over 20 years. His companies, LockupPoliceTraining.com and DiffusionStrategies.com, are dedicated to delivering innovative, research-based training with proven practices to elevate officer performance, accountability, and public safety.
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 and expert” 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.
A highly sought-after speaker and trainer, Lt. Dillon has provided training and consultation on use-of-force programs across North America and Europe. He has presented at numerous high-profile conferences and organizations, including:
- International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)
- FBI National Academy Chapters / LEEDA
- FBI Command College
- Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA®)
- FBI National Academy Associates FBI NA
- DLG Use of Force Summit
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