Dan Champness is a Senior Instructor at Tomahawk, specializing in tactics and firearms instruction. Mr. Champness is currently a Senior Police Officer for a prominent southern California police department, where he helps train his own department. He’s a certified range master and chemical agent instructor accredited by the California Peace Officer Standards and Training and a member of the California Association of Tactical Officers, where he actively contributes to the training of officers from surrounding jurisdictions in active shooter response and close quarters tactics.
A police officer since 2009, he has been an integral member of the SWAT team and currently holds the position of Team Leader in his force. Mr. Champness plans and executes a range of complex and high-risk operations including warrants, barricades, hostage rescues, dignitary protection, and response to WMD/CBRNE events. His expertise extends to rural operations involving marijuana garden eradication and fugitive tracking. Previously, Mr. Champness spent two years in an undercover unit of SWAT officers dedicated to tracking and apprehending violent fugitives. He also spent three years in a Joint Federal Task Force, where he worked undercover conducting narcotics and firearms purchases, participating in Title III investigations, and conducting surveillance on high-profile criminals throughout the Eastern District of California.
Currently, Mr. Champness is pursuing his master’s degree in counterterrorism and strategic security at Henley-Putnam University.