The L.O.C.K.U.P.® Police Training System (Law Officers Combat Kinetics Unarmed Panoply) was developed to provide law enforcement, corrections, probation, military, healthcare, and security professionals with a practical, legally defensible, and operationally relevant system for responding to resistance and aggression.
Originally conceived in 2000 by Lt. Kevin F. Dillon (Ret.), the system was designed to bridge the gap between traditional defensive tactics training and the realities of modern law enforcement. Recognizing that officers operate under constitutional standards, wear restrictive duty equipment, receive limited training time, and must make rapid decisions under extreme stress, the L.O.C.K.U.P.® System was developed around immediate control strategies, natural body mechanics, human performance, and tactical decision-making rather than sport-based techniques.
In 2004, the L.O.C.K.U.P.® Police Training System was adopted by the Connecticut Police Officer Standards and Training Council (POSTC) as the state’s official arrest and control training system for all Connecticut police academies. The system was subsequently adopted by the Rhode Island Municipal Police Training Academy and the Rhode Island State Police Academy, establishing L.O.C.K.U.P.® as one of the few state-adopted arrest and control systems in the United States.
Today, the L.O.C.K.U.P.® Police Training System is taught throughout the United States and internationally through instructor certification programs that prepare public safety professionals to safely and effectively manage resistant, assaultive, and aggressive individuals. The system integrates constitutional law, human performance, tactical decision-making, communication, and psychomotor skill development into a comprehensive training framework designed to improve officer safety, enhance operational effectiveness, and produce measurable real-world outcomes.
Unlike traditional defensive tactics programs, L.O.C.K.U.P.® emphasizes immediate control strategies that are retainable under stress, adaptable to officers of all experience levels, and compatible with modern duty equipment and operational environments. The system continues to evolve through performance analysis, operational feedback, instructor evaluation, and advances in human performance research.
At its core, L.O.C.K.U.P.® is built upon a simple principle:
Training should prepare officers for the realities of their profession—not simply for success in the classroom.
As Lt. Kevin F. Dillon (Ret.) often reminds instructors: “One improper technique changed the country.”
That philosophy continues to guide the ongoing development of the L.O.C.K.U.P.® Police Training System and reinforces the responsibility of instructors to deliver training that is lawful, measurable, operationally relevant, and capable of improving real-world performance.
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.UP. 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 AwardEffective Communication Skills for De-Escalation
L.E.A.D.S.® – Law Enforcement Active De-escalation Strategies
Recognizing the growing need for communication-based conflict resolution, Lt. Kevin F. Dillon (Ret.) developed L.E.A.D.S.® (Law Enforcement Active De-escalation Strategies) in 2006 to provide law enforcement officers with a structured, evidence-informed approach to professional communication, behavioral influence, and conflict resolution.
L.E.A.D.S.® integrates principles of human behavior, communication psychology, tactical decision-making, and officer safety to help officers recognize escalating behavior, reduce conflict, gain voluntary compliance whenever possible, and improve outcomes during citizen encounters. The program emphasizes that effective de-escalation begins long before force becomes necessary through threat assessment, behavioral observation, tactical positioning, communication strategies, and sound decision-making.
Participants learn to recognize pre-assault indicators, assess behavioral cues, implement tactical repositioning, utilize time and distance, request additional resources when appropriate, and employ communication strategies designed to reduce resistance while maintaining officer safety.
Equally important, L.E.A.D.S.® teaches officers how to accurately articulate and document their de-escalation efforts within incident reports, reinforcing the principle that effective communication and successful de-escalation should be measured, documented, and evaluated just as thoroughly as physical uses of force.
Since its development, L.E.A.D.S.® has been delivered to law enforcement agencies throughout the United States—from Alaska to Hawaii—and has received national recognition for its practical, evidence-informed approach to communication and conflict resolution. The program has also been reviewed and approved for use by the United States Department of Justice in agencies operating under federal oversight and consent decree requirements.
L.E.A.D.S.® reflects Lt. Dillon’s continuing philosophy that the most effective response is the one that safely resolves an encounter while protecting officers, subjects, and the communities they serve.
Arrest and Control Combat Maneuvers and Techniques
KFD Training & Consultation LLC provides a comprehensive portfolio of instructor certification programs, leadership education, immediate control systems, and professional development courses for law enforcement, corrections, probation, military, healthcare, security, and civilian professionals.
The L.O.C.K.U.P.® Police Training System was developed to provide officers with practical, legally defensible, and operationally relevant methods for safely gaining immediate control of resistant, assaultive, and aggressive individuals. The system integrates constitutional law, human performance, tactical decision-making, communication, and psychomotor skill development into a comprehensive training framework designed to improve officer safety, enhance operational effectiveness, and produce measurable real-world outcomes.
Unlike traditional defensive tactics programs, L.O.C.K.U.P.® emphasizes immediate control strategies that are practical, retainable under stress, and adaptable to the unpredictable nature of real-world encounters.
The L.O.C.K.U.P.® Police Training System is:
- Operationally relevant, based on the realities of contemporary law enforcement and corrections.
- Legally defensible, consistent with constitutional standards and current use-of-force principles.
- Performance-based, integrating human performance research with tactical decision-making and psychomotor skill development.
- Designed around gross motor skills and natural body mechanics to promote long-term retention and reliable performance under stress.
- Integrated with communication, de-escalation, and risk management strategies to improve decision-making and reduce unnecessary force.
- Compatible with duty equipment and protective gear, ensuring officers train under realistic operational conditions.
- Adaptable to officers of all ages, experience levels, and physical abilities, allowing techniques to be modified while maintaining operational effectiveness.
- Focused on measurable outcomes, providing agencies with practical methods to evaluate training effectiveness through post-training performance and real-world deployments.
- Continuously refined through operational feedback, instructor evaluation, and performance analysis to ensure the system remains relevant and effective.
Training Philosophy
At KFD Training & Consultation LLC, we believe training should prepare officers for the realities of their profession—not simply for success in the classroom. Every L.O.C.K.U.P.® program is built upon the principle that effective training integrates legal principles, human performance, tactical decision-making, and psychomotor skill development into a comprehensive system that improves officer safety, enhances operational effectiveness, and produces measurable real-world outcomes.
Training is conducted in full duty gear whenever operationally appropriate because officers should train as they perform in the field.
Drilling for Proficiency
L.O.C.K.U.P. ® training teaches how, through a system of realistic and challenging drills, to develop proficiency. Throughout military and police history, drilling has proven to be the most effective way to train personnel to respond to highly stressful situations. L.O.C.K.U.P. ® simulates these stressful situations and trains personnel through repetitive drilling. L.O.C.K.U.P. ® follows the newest science when it comes to the development of rapid skill acquisition.
Contextual Training
It has been proven that training in the arena in which you will perform greatly enhances recall and performance. Wearing full belt gear, officers are introduced to numerous simulated environments that train them in identifying and adjusting to different surroundings and responses. L.O.C.K.U.P. ® is not a gymnasium, stage or lecture program. Some “real world” environments that officers are exposed to during drilling are:
- low light conditions,
- low light with flashing red and blue lights,
- chaotic scenes,
- multiple surfaces with audible distractions,
- slick surface environments,
- multiple suspect drills,
- energy depletion drills, and
- much more.
The more realistic the training, the longer the retention period, resulting in success when used in real life situations.
“For how you train…so shall you fight.”®
“This program provides a reasonable dynamic threat response variable under safe, relevant and realistically high street encounter situations…”
Reginald Allard Jr. 13thjuror, LLC Police Consultant/Expert Witness
Strategies for Success
L.O.C.K.U.P.® focuses on law enforcement strategies and tactics for street deployment. Far too often officers find themselves at a disadvantage and physically fighting with resistant or aggressive suspects who are larger, younger and more committed. Numerous street response strategies to use before being attacked are discussed and practiced in training to identify potential threats. Strategies are the key to success when responding to resistance and aggression. Signs of human aggression, such as body language and pre-attack indicators, are added to the scenario based exercises to enhance the training objectives.
EXPERT REVIEW AND ANALYSIS
Statement of Tactical Soundness
The L.O.C.K.U.P.® Police Combat System has been fully reviewed and analyzed for tactical soundness by a National Law Enforcement Expert Company. The 11 page review document identifies human factors and the legal aspects involved in law enforcement training. There are multiple cases cited to support this extensive report. “This program provides a reasonable dynamic threat response variable under safe, relevant and realistically high street encounter situations…” A full copy of the report is available upon request.
Statement of Legal Soundness
The L.O.C.K.U.P.® System was fully reviewed by a practicing senior assistant state’s attorney for legal soundness and application. The system was found to fall within current statutes and case law relating to acceptable force in law enforcement activities. “I can state that the training being offered by KFD Training and Consultation LLC and the L.O.C.K.U.P.® Police Combat System falls within acceptable parameters regarding use of force.”
Louis J. Luba, Senior Assistant State’s Attorney
Statement of Medical Soundness
The L.O.C.K.U.P. ® System has been fully reviewed by practicing medical professionals for medical soundness for both training elements as well as street deployment. The system was found to be medically sound and applicable for today’s law enforcement arrest and control system.
“When the above techniques are performed properly, they are safe and reliable. The techniques utilize gross skeletal manipulation of the assailant. Normal joint motion is used for the manipulation and no vital structures are attacked. The police officer uses his/her balance, momentum, and learned technical skills to apply force as needed. Injury is very unlikely… All police and military personnel should be trained in these or similar techniques.”
Charles L. Castiglione, MD, FACS
Assessment of Success
“The agency has an excellent self defense training program which has contributed greatly to their success in low usage of less lethal impact weapons during this accreditation period.” Commission of Accreditation for Law Enforcement (CALEA®) Executive Summary of a CALEA® L.O.C.K.U.P.® system. 2003—2006