Richard is a former Law enforcement officer of over 15 years, with extensive experience in the area of tactical operations. He has over 10 years of operational experience in Special Weapons and Tactics. He was instrumental in founding Haines City Police Department’s first SWAT team and held the position of team leader, assault element operator, sniper, and chief instructor for almost 5 years. He served approximately 6 years with Winter Haven Police Department’s SWAT team where he held the position of assault element leader, assistant team commander, alternate sniper, alternate breacher, and chief instructor specializing in the areas of SWAT, Firearms, Close Quarter Combat, Chemical Agents, Distraction Devices, Hand to Hand Combat, and Sniper training.

Richard served as an adjunct FDLE certified instructor in the areas of firearms, defensive tactics, and domestic terrorism. He is also a FBI certified chemical agents instructor, as well as being an instructor in less-lethal munitions, impact weapons, close-quarters battle, and assorted special weapon systems.

Richard has been training in the martial arts since the age of 13, and has been teaching both Japanese Karate and Japanese Sword for the last 40 years. Although his primary focus is Japanese karate and sword, he has trained in various other martial arts such as Aikido, Kendo, Arnis/Kali, Kung-fu, and the MMA system of KFM to name a few. He currently holds the rank of Godan (5^th-degree black belt) in Wado-Ryu karate, Sandan (3^rd-degree black belt) in Japanese Iaido, and also is a Shodan (1^st-degree black belt) in Shindo Muso-Ryu Jodo.

The combination of traditional classroom training and real-world operational experience separates Richard from other instructors, whose only experience is in a classroom setting, and gives him insight into what works and doesn’t work from a very unique perspective.

He served as a Special Deputy United States Marshal during a 5 years investigation operating as an undercover agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task infiltrating domestic terror groups.

In 2000 Richard became one of only 18 United States citizens to receive the Louis E. Peters Memorial Service Award from the FBI and the Society of Former Agents of the FBI for his service as an undercover officer investigating Domestic Terrorism. He spent over 5 years infiltrating and gathering information on one of the largest Domestic Terror groups in the United States during the mid to late 90’s. He received the award in recognition for the great sacrifice he made and for repeatedly placing himself in danger of death to help foil the group’s plans. The investigation ended in 1999 when the FBI arrested several of the group’s key leaders and successfully prevented what would have been one of the nation's largest and most complex Domestic Terrorist Attacks to date.

 

- 15 years Former Law Enforcement
- 10+ Years SWAT Assault Element Leader
- Former SWAT Team Assistant Commander
- Former Chief SWAT Instructor for HCPD and WHPD SWAT
- Responsible for training, risk mitigation, safety, and Certification of SWAT Personnel
- Instructor in multiple weapon systems, chemical agents, hand to hand combat, as well as various specialized tactical areas
- 5+ Year Undercover with FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force
- Awarded the Louis E. Peters Memorial Service Award in 2000
- Expertise in Domestic Terrorism, Close Quarter Battle, and Firearms