Mark Thomas
AMPWDA Trainer
Officer Mark Thomas is a 13 year veteran in law enforcement. He
started his career with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, where
he served the community in Patrol and Emergency Management. After
joining the Saint Charles County Police Department in 2012, Officer
Thomas earned a position on the St. Charles County Regional SWAT
Team. In 2014, he completed a dual-purpose canine handler course
with K-9 Tyson at Shallow Creek Kennels under the guidance of John
Brannon and Mike VanLeer. Officer Thomas and K-9 Tyson were
certified by NAPWDA as a dual-purpose canine team. They are also
certified annually by NNDDA. The two spent a total of 4 years on
SWAT (3 of those years as an Operator/K-9), and 6 years assigned to
DEA Saint Louis Enforcement Group 33.
Officer Thomas was presented with the Outstanding Investigator Award
twice by the DEA. Additionally, his interdiction team received
multiple awards from Desert Snow, NCEA, and HSI/ICE for their
success in thwarting interstate drug trafficking and bulk cash
smuggling. Because of this involvement, Officer Thomas gained
experience in court room testimony, specifically related to the use
of drug detection dogs in Drug Trafficking / Civil Asset Forfeiture
cases in state and federal court.
In 2020, Officer Thomas accepted the prestigious role as the St.
Charles County Police Department K-9 Unit Trainer. He is responsible
for overseeing the training of their 6 canine teams currently in
service. With K-9 Tyson nearing retirement, he has taken on the
training of a new dual-purpose canine under the instruction of Brian
Dowdy. Officer Thomas’s new canine partner is a 2 year old Dutch
Shepherd named Charlie. Officer Thomas and K-9 Charlie will be in
service in January 2021.
