Mike Mayes, the owner and head trainer of Battle Ridge K9 Services is currently a law enforcement officer with over 21 years experience and currently holds the rank of 1/Lieutenant. During his tenure he has served as an officer working the field as well as a supervisor and administrator.

Early in his career, Mike initiated a statewide K9 program and served as the commander and trainer for that program from 1995 until 2003. During this time while serving as supervisor of the K9 program, Mike provided supervision and training to 16 handlers across the state. While assigned as commander of the K9 program, Mike handled two patrol dogs and one explosive detection dog. During the past 17 years, Mike has personally trained over 300 police service dogs.

K9 Experience

Special Operations
- K9 Operations Commander
- Daily Supervison of 16 handlers
- Oversee Roadway/Nonroadway Interdiction Programs
- Conduct training of K9 teams
- Supervise K9 teams during deployments
- Selection of handlers/dogs
- Conduct in-service training of K9 teams
- Develop Unit S.O.P.'s

Education

Huntington East High School
- H.S. Diploma, 1982
West Virginia Institute of Technology
- A.S. Degree
- Engineering, 1985
Marshall University
- A.S. Degree
- Applied Police Science, 1987
West Virginia State College
- B.A. Degree
- Board of Regents, 1990
Marshall University
- M.S. Degree
- Occupational Safety, 1996

Education Related Training

32 week cadet training
- October 1986
Criminal Patrol Drug Enforcement School September 1989
- Florida Highway Patrol
Basic Drug School March
- 1991
Marijuana Eradication School May 1992
- Camp Dawson
Firearms Trafficking Task Force Training June 1994
- ATF
Advanced K9 Handlers Street Survival Training March 1995
- Madison County Sheriffs Department, Virginia
Patrol K9 Seminar April 1996
- West Virginia Police Canine Association
Mantrailing Techniques
- Tracking/Scent Association May 1996
- Kansas Department of Corrections
Instructor Development Course July 1997
- NorthStar Research Inc.
Supervision of Police Personnel September 1997
- Northwestern University
Domestic Canine Interdiction August 1999
Multijurisdictional Counterdrug Task Force Training August 1999
- Florida National Guard
Explosive Detector Dog Training November 1999
- Wilmington Police Department, North Carolina
Police Internal Affairs School
- January 2001
Advanced Tactical K9 Training June 2001
- North American Police Work Dog Association
Handgun Firearms Instructor School
- June 2001
Rifle Firearms Instructor School
- September 2001
Emergency Response to Terrorism
- March 2002
Tactical Considerations
- National Fire Academy
Vulnerability Assessment Training April 2002
- Defense Threat Reduction Agency (Military)
Explosive Recognition
- October 2002
Legal Aspects of Terrorism January 2003
- U.S. Attorneys Office
- Southern District
Advanced Supervision
- March 2003
Homeland Security - Threat Assessments
- Camp Dawson March 2007
Executive Command School
- April 2007

Work Related Training and Experience

Owner/Operator of Battle Ridge K9 Services, Madison, West Virginia, since 1997
Professional trainer of police K9s since 1990
Initiated Statewide K9 Program
Handled two (2) patrol dogs and two (2) explosive dogs for the Statewide K9 Program
Personally trained or provided maintenance training for over 300 police K9 teams
Trained or provided maintenance training of K9 teams for over 45 police agencies
Head Trainer for the Statewide K9 Program K9 Operations since 1994
Certified patrol/narcotic K9 handler by North American Police Work Dog Association
Certified explosive detector K9 handler by North American Police Work Dog Association
Extensive experience in field testing police service dogs from Holland, Czech Republic, Belgium and Germany
Member of NAPWDA (North American Police Work Dog Association)
Former Board of Directors, West Virginia K9 Search and Rescue
Past vice President, West Virginia Police K9 Association
West Virginia State Coordinator for North American Police Work Dog Association
Certified by the Governor's Committee on Crime, Delinquency & Correction in the following areas:
- LET Certified Handgun instructor
- LET Certified Rifle Instructor
LET Certified Instructor of police service K9s in the area of:
- Narcotic detection
- Utility/patrol work
Instruct Law Enforcement Officers in the Use of Police K9's to include:
- Preparing the Crime Scene for Tracks
- Tactical Building Searches for Felons
- Tactical Area Searches
- Police K9s used for narcotic searches
Instructor for the St. Albans Police Department Fall K9 Training Seminar- October 2006
Instructor for the St. Albans Police Department Fall K9 Training Seminar- September 2007