Water Human Remains Instructors

 Lisa has devoted herself to helping local, state, and federal agencies dealing with searches for missing persons, lost hunters, homicides, and article searches for evidence. She has responded to hundreds of searches from Alaska, Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, Missouri and Vancouver, British Columbia, as well as New York to Puerto Rico with her canines through the years.

Lisa has been in law enforcement since 1978. She started with Pearl River P.D. as a mounted officer and has completed her thirty-year run with St. Tammany Sheriff's Office mounted as well as SAR canine. She was in the Special Operations Division from 1991 through 2008. Lisa also worked as a civilian K9 contractor with the FBI Victim recovery Team from 2005 through 2018 and remains a K9 asset on an as need basis.

Higgins is co-founder of LaSAR, is a certified NASAR SARTECH II, a Canine SAR Tech III, is a member of NSDA, and a member of NNCDS, serving on the advisory board. Lisa was the first to come up with the idea of having a canine search and rescue team in the state of Louisiana. In 1989, she brought a group of people together to discuss pursuing this idea. After that meeting, she and her daughter Troi-Marie and Dee Wild were the only ones to move forward to help form the first search and rescue dog team in the State of Louisiana, LaSAR. Lisa qualified as a "Subject Matter Expert" in canine body recovery in New Orleans Criminal Courts.

Higgins is a member of the Federal DMORT Region VI Team(retired), Louisiana and Texas State Mass Fatalities Taskforce(retired). She has co-authored several articles and a book chapter on water search and recovery.

Lisa is known for her kind, caring and generous spirit as an instructor and mentor to so many in the search and rescue community. She has taught us how to be patient and how to understand "Dog time."   

With over 30 years of comprehensive experience in canine training, program management, and

behavior, Jennifer Hirakawa is a distinguished expert in her field. After retiring from the U.S.

Army Military Police Corps in May 2012, where she attained the rank of Master Sergeant (MSG)

after 23 years of dedicated service, Jennifer transitioned into a civilian career focused on

enhancing the human-canine bond.

Throughout her military service, Jennifer excelled in various capacities, including as a canine

handler and trainer in patrol, narcotics, and explosives detection. Her extensive deployments,

which included both short and long missions such as IFOR, SFOR, and OEF, reflect her

commitment and expertise. A significant highlight of her career was successfully passing the

German National Dog Trainers Exam, further enhancing her qualifications on an international

level.

Since founding Kawa Farms K9 Training in 2012, Jennifer has concentrated on training dogs

and their human partners, working with a wide range of breeds and temperaments. She offers

behavior consultations, teaches canine behavior in working dog programs, and specializes in

the training of odor-detection dogs, dual-purpose canines, and service dogs. Based in her

training facility in Winterset, Iowa, Jennifer also travels to evaluate and collaborate with

operational K9 teams.

Currently, Jennifer is heavily engaged in training K9 Billy G.O.A.T. for Human Remains

Detection (HRD) while K9 Moose and K9 Gracie Bell enjoy their retirement. Her training

encompasses wilderness HRD, Wilderness Live Find, Wilderness Live Find Scent Specific, and HRD in water from both boats and shorelines. She also leads K9 Mapping programs such as SARTOPO and is certified in AERIE HRD and NNCDS (HRD and Water - Shoreline and Boat). Additionally, she operates as a private contractor specializing in other working dogs. Jennifer is also a Shepherd for Called2Rescue Ministries (C2R), a veteran-owned 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Pensacola, Florida, dedicated to educating and empowering communities to assist the exploited and marginalized.

Jennifer’s commitment to professional growth is reflected in her memberships in esteemed organizations. As a member of the Alliance for Emergency Response Examiners (AERIE), she serves as an instructor and examiner across various search and rescue disciplines. In the National Network of Canine Detection Services (NNCDS), she contributes as an instructor and evaluator for land and water HRD.

In addition to her operational roles, Jennifer plays an active part in the Academic Standards

Board - Dogs and Sensors Committee, an essential initiative aimed at developing forensic

science standards within an American National Standards Institute accredited framework. She is also involved with organizations such as Canine Search and Recover Inc (CSAR), the National Police Canine Association (NPCA), the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT), the American Kennel Club (AKC), and The International Association of Animal Behavioral Consultants (IAABC) and is a KPA - member.

Furthermore, Jennifer is dedicated to supporting veteran and military organizations, holding Life Memberships in the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Disabled American Veterans (DAV), and the United States Army Military Police Regimental Association. Her diverse experiences and steadfast dedication position Jennifer Hirakawa as a respected authority in canine training and behavior.

Additionally, don’t hesitate to inquire about her role as the defensive coordinator for Nebraska Pride, a professional women's football team, and her involvement in winning last year’s Div II National Championship!