Andrew Carlsson

Director Of Operations

Andrew was a Phoenix Police Officer for just under 24 years with the last 14 years as a Canine Handler in the Canine Unit. Andrew retired from that position in May of 2019. As an active member of ALECA since 2005, Andrew has served the members in different positions, including the Training Committee, Secretary, President and currently serves as the Director of Operations managing the day-to-day operations of the organization. Andrew also serves as a member of the Training Division and is on the Standards Committee for the National Police Canine Association (NPCA). The NPCA is a national certifying and training organization through which most of ALECA’s members obtain annual national certification.

Tony Sanborn

President

Tony Sanborn has worked for the Scottsdale Police Department for the past 20 years and has been a Canine Handler for 15 years. Tony and his dual purpose canine partner Djaro are currently assigned as the SWAT K9 and Unit Trainer for his department. Tony has spent the last nine years with ALECA; he has served as Vice President and now as President for the past three years.

Ricardo Carlo

Vice President

Ricardo Carlo has worked for the Glendale Police Department for the past 15 years, where he worked in patrol and on their Neighborhood Response Squad before being assigned to the canine unit. Ricardo joined the canine unit in 2016, and is currently assigned with his dual purpose canine partner Duco. Their current assignments are assisting with SWAT, Fugitive Apprehensions Unit, Property Crimes, US Marshalls Violent Offenders task force and patrol. In addition, Ricardo is one of Glendale’s canine unit trainers, a NPCA Certifying Official, and been a Trustee for ALECA for the last three years prior to becoming Vice President.

Deanna Kuhn

Secretary

Deanna Kuhn has worked for the Queen Creek Police Department for the past three years, and was one of the first laterals to join the department prior to it becoming operational. Deanna was on patrol prior to becoming a canine handler with her single purpose canine partner Obi, who is trained in detection for explosives, firearms, and spent casings. They are currently assigned under the Special Assignments Unit, where they assist agencies across the valley for special events and operations.

Jeremy Pitt

Treasurer

Jeremy Pitt has worked for the Scottsdale Police Department for the past 17 years in a variety of assignments. Jeremy has been assigned as the departments K-9 Sergeant since 2021 and currently handles a dual purpose patrol/EOD K9 named Booker. Jeremy joined ALECA upon assignment to the K-9 unit and has been the Treasurer of ALECA since 2023.

Leah Donwen

Trustee

Leah Donwen has worked for the for the Tempe Police Department for the past seven years. In that time she has been apart of multiple units and an instructor in multiple less-lethal options. Leah joined the K9 Unit over a year ago. Becoming a Canine Handler has been a passion and goal for her before even becoming a police officer. She is eager to continue building her knowledge to assist others from within her unit to across the ALECA community.

Justin Guadiana

Trustee

Justin Guadiana has worked for the Department of Corrections for the past 18 years, with the last ten being with the K9 Unit. Justin was also promoted to K9 Sergeant over three years ago. He has a passion for helping canine handlers and the canines becoming even better teams together, and being able to work with canines on a daily basis.

Jeff Rumsley

Trustee

Jeff Rumsley has worked for the Tucson Police Department since 1994 and has been a Canine Handler since 2005. Jeff has also been a K9 Trainer for his department since 2009, and is currently working with his third dual-purpose K9. He has deployed his K9s over 2500 times in a patrol capacity, with an additional several hundred detection searches. He has been a lead instructor in 30+ basic K9 schools that have included handlers from several other agencies.

Derek Vusovich

Training Coordinator

Derek Vusovich has worked for the Scottsdale Police Department since 2014 and has been a Canine Handler since 2017. Derek and his dual purpose canine partner Rocco have been working together since 2022. Derek brings a passion for training and a dedication to the mission that is inspiring to all that have worked with him.