Nick Russo- Co-Owner, Master Trainer

Nick is a Marine Corps Veteran and co-owner and Master Trainer at QRF Solutions K9. He has 12 years of dog training experience. He grew up with beagles, which he helped his father train, raise and breed for hunting rabbits as well as participate in trials. Throughout the 12 years of training, Nick has worked with many different breeds with varying needs. He specializes in working dogs (including odor detection and police apprehension) but also has expertise in correcting canine behavior issues, preparing canines for service dog tasks, and personal protection canine training for individuals and families. Currently, Nick is a K9 instructor for the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, is an American Kennel Club evaluator, AKC Therapy dog evaluator, and a certified Master Trainer and handler by the American Mantrailing, Police & Work Dog Association (as is his canine, Odin).  He and his K9 Odin were also responsible for a large narcotic bust in New York. Nick is frequently called to be an expert witness on dog behavior in various court cases around the state of Virginia. In his spare time, Nick enjoys working with his personal dogs including his newest addition, a Belgian Malinois puppy, who is currently being trained in explosive detection and police apprehension. 

Robert DePartee- Technical Deployment Coordinator

Rob retired from the U.S. Army after 28 years of service with both active and reserve component service. Of those 28 years, 24 years were as a U.S. Army Aviator including eight years with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR(A).  

Since retirement, Rob has been a civilian mission flight instructor to the 160th SOAR(A), spent time flying law enforcement and emergency medical helicopters, and is currently serving as a pilot-in-command with the Maryland State Police Aviation Command. 

Rob’s role with QRF Solutions K9 allows teams to gain experience working in and around helicopters preparing them for potential aviation insertion operations.   

Paul Pennington-

Paul Pennington co-founded Knights Armor Security Training, LLC in 2018 as a natural extension to a career dedicated to justice.

Pennington spent most of his career in the corrections side of law enforcement and has experience in conducting criminal, administrative, use of force, serious incident and internal investigations. He is certified as an instructor by the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commission and taught at the Entry Level Academy as well as an in-service instructor. He was an Institutional TAC leader for five years.

In 2014, Pennington became a Virginia Department of Criminal Justices (DCJS) registered private investigator. Immediately following, he created Pennington Elite Investigations, LLC, licensed in Virginia as a private security services business. He completed other DCJS trainings and is a certified compliance agent, registered armed security officer, DCJS general instructor, DCJS firearms instructor and licensed bail bondsman. In 2015, Pennington opened Elite Bail Bonds & Recovery LLC in Winchester, Va., with co-owners Teresa Copenhaver and P.J. Lewis. He still serves the organization as president.

Frank Zito- Police Liaison and Acquisitions Expert

Frank comes to us with over 20 years of experience in the NYPD specializing in firearm tactics and training. Through his connections, he uses his abilities to broker deals with various police and federal agencies. He works with us to train departments in CQC (close quarter combat) with K9 and how to properly fill out reports within the K9 and law enforcement world.