Thursday Conference

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Conference at a Glance (PDF)

All sessions are 75 minutes in length unless otherwise noted.

September 30, 2010
8:00 AM	Detecting Fraudulent Documents Edward Koranda, Special Agent, and Patrick Kastl, Special Agent U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security/Immigration & Customs Enforce. This session will discuss a variety of documents issued by the U.S. government, with guidelines on detecting fraudulent from genuine. These include green cards, Social Security cards, employment authorization cards, visas, U.S. passports, and border crossing cards. The speaker will display actual documents, genuine and fraudulent, and will include several case histories about detecting false documents.
8:00 AM	Ethics for Law Enforcement, Ethics for Life J.R. Price, Professor, Dept. of Criminology and Criminal Justice University of Texas-Arlington In this session, the speaker will discuss reasons for managers to stress ethics within their departments, and the importance of ethics for officers of every rank, when challenged by ethical dilemmas at work and in their personal lives. The presentation also will include the importance of the "tone from the top" in creating an ethical foundation for organizations.
8:00 AM	Multi-Agency Disaster Response Coordination David McEntire, Associate Dean-College of Public Affairs and Community Service University of North Texas This presentation will examine types of disasters, and how actors from law enforcement, EMS, regulatory agencies, and private and non-profit sectors can be effectively integrated. The speaker will examine alternative management approaches, and will discuss coordination through command and control vs. networking.
8:00 AM	Officer Survival of Aggressive and Dangerous Dogs James Osorio, Director of Training Humanek9.us This session will give law enforcement officers who come across dogs in their jobs a better perspective on countering dog attacks. Officers will leave with an improved understanding of how to prevent an attacking dog, making a stand, OC Spray effects, Tasers, taking a bite if needed, and more. Officers should also be capable of overcoming their fear of dogs. Keep in mind, a dog attack can be controlled. But if you panic and try to turn and run in an effort to evade a bite, a dog can and will run you down.
9:30 AM	A Look at Tarrant County's Successful "COBRA" Bait Car Program Sgt. Matt Pedersen , Detective Joel Harter Tarrant Regional Auto Crimes Task Force The Covert Organized Bait, Recovery and Apprehension (COBRA) program, coordinated by the Tarrant Regional Auto Crimes Task Force, is a bait car program begun in 2006, which is proving to be an effective tool in decreasing auto theft and vehicle burglary in Tarrant County. Learn about the history and success of the COBRA program - in which cars equipped with tracking devices are parked in strategic areas; on-board equipment includes video cameras showing the thieves in action. Participants include the Ft. Worth PD, Arlington PD, National Insurance Crime Bureau and the Task Force. Also discussed will be general auto theft trends in the vicinity.
9:30 AM	Grants for Law Enforcement – a Look at Effective Funding Strategies Michael Asimor Dynamic International In today's economy, grants are more important than ever as a means of law enforcement funding. This session will start out with a discussion of current local government funding challenges, followed by the specifics of grant writing. Learn how to get started with an application, how to write (what to do, what not to do), and how your points of contact can increase your chances of success. Also learn how to use to your advantage the Responders Knowledge Base and the National Incident Management System.
9:30 AM	Human Trafficking – Overview of the Trafficking Victim Protection Reauthorization Act Errin Martin, Assistant U.S. Attorney U.S. Dept. of Justice - Northern District of Texas This session will educate attendees on the growing, and often unrecognized crimes of Human Trafficking. The presenter will discuss the federal statutes that are available to prosecute these crimes as well as protect the victims. The presenter will also offer the prosecutor's perspective on investigative techniques and case preparation and presentation for these unique crimes.
9:30 AM	Tactical Team Close Quarter Countermeasures Larry Frye, TEEX the Extension Service of Texas A&M University This session is designed to provide tactical team members with information on non-lethal force options. The speaker will describe a simple and systematic close quarter countermeasures system designed for apprehending subjects during dynamic entries, hostage rescue or to control a surrendering subject.
11:00 AM	Fundamentals of Crisis Negotiations Douglas Whitten Jr., Special Agent FBI This session will introduce attendees to the world of Crisis Negotiations. It will provide an overview of the kinds of situations that result in the deployment of Negotiators, such as hostage taking, suicide attempts, and barricaded subjects. There will be a summary of the basic strategy used in these situations, as well as the psychological principles that support this strategy. Included will be an explanation of subjects' typical behavior - Instrumental, with clear demands and objectives, or Expressive, which is emotional and often illogical - and how definition of the behavior will dictate the negotiation strategy.
11:00 AM	Investigating Gang Crimes – Effective Collaboration Between Prosecutors and Law Enforcement Kevin Rousseau, Assistant District Attorney and Chief of Gang/Homicide Unit Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office Gang crimes and violence are a major problem for police and prosecutors in all metropolitan areas. This session will focus on ways that prosecutors and law enforcement can most effectively collaborate as they investigate and work up gang cases - from the original offenses to the penalty and sentencing phases. Discussed will be common tactics that have achieved success during criminal case investigation and preparation, and remedies available to prosecutors to combat gang activity.
11:00 AM	The Texas Capitol Report – an Overview of Current Law Enforcement Legislation Charley Wilkison, Director of Public Affairs Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas The immediate past legislative session impacted rank and file officers with issues related to employment, rights, and on the job issues. The speaker will look at "the good, the bad and the ugly" as it affects Texas officers, as well as future issues that will definitely be brought back when the legislature convenes in January of 2011.
11:00 AM	What Law Enforcement Needs to Know About Motorcycle Enforcement Garry Parker, Law Enforcement Liason Texas Municipal Police Association With motorcycle crashes on the rise, enforcement of state traffic safety laws is a priority. Excessive speed, aggressive riding, failure to yield, impaired riding, and other issues contribute to putting the motorcyclist and passenger at risk, as well as threatening the safety of adjacent vehicles. The speaker will discuss detecting motorcycle violations, making safe traffic stops, and successful prosecution of the motorcycle violation.
1:30 PM	Driven to Distraction – the Dangers of Distracted Driving Dub Gillum, Trooper Texas Highway Patrol This session looks at the cause and effects of vehicle driver distractions. While the speaker will discuss citizen driver distractions, the main focus will be on law enforcement and public safety vehicles - examining distractions involving the drivers of police cars and ambulances, the most wired vehicles on the road. Drivers of these vehicles are dealing with on-board computers, radios, navigation systems and cell phones, and texting while driving and other dangerous practices have become common occurrences.
1:30 PM	Search and Seizure – What Are the Rules Now? Elizabeth Lutton, Legal Advisor Dallas County Sheriff’s Department This session is designed to update law enforcement officers on recent cases in both federal and state law regarding search and seizure. A special emphasis will be placed on traffic stops and reasonable suspicion from a practical standpoint for officers in the field. Home searches will also be covered, along with the exigent circumstances exception and warrant requirements.
1:30 PM	Suicide Detection and Prevention in Jails Robert Albritton, TEEX the Extension Service of Texas A&M University This session will provide corrections officers with an understanding of offenders with mental impairments and suicidal behavior. Suicide prevention should begin at arrest and continue through the stay in the correctional facility. Learn how almost all jail suicides can be averted with a comprehensive prevention program that includes staff training, intake screening, communication between staff, appropriate and safe housing, frequent observation, prompt intervention, and human interaction between staff and inmates.
1:30 PM	The Importance of Physical Fitness For Post-Academy Law Enforcement Personnel Dr. Stephen Farrell, Science Officer-Division of Education The Cooper Institute This talk will focus on the link between the physical fitness level of post-academy law enforcement personnel and their ability to perform critical physical job tasks. The speaker will discuss the pros and cons of various approaches to setting mandatory fitness standards within an agency. He will discuss 20 to 30 strenuous/critical physical tasks that are job-related, and will describe a suggested regime of tests that can indicate whether officers have sufficient fitness to perform such tasks.
3:00 PM	Apprehending Fugitive Felons Trent Touchstone, Assistant Chief Deputy U.S. Marshals Service This session will focus on specialized investigations, task forces and/or units to locate and apprehend fugitive felons (violent offenders/violent offenses), explaining how departments with limited resources and ever-increasing warrant backloads can address this problem area. Learn about some of the unique areas that comprise a fugitive investigation and the potential problems if fugitive felons remain at large. The speaker will discuss the network of United States Marshals Service Fugitive Task Forces and how these can benefit and assist federal, state and local departments.
3:00 PM	Child Abuse Recognition and Investigation Jackie Watson, TEEX the Extension Service of Texas A&M University This session will discuss investigation techniques for child abuse and neglect cases. Included will be information on the nature, causes and effects of child abuse; statutory authority and responsibilities; categories of child abuse and neglect; family dynamics and components of child abuse; guidelines for investigation; and common characteristics of child abusers.
3:00 PM	Laser-Based, In-Field Identification of Illicit Materials Bryan Ray, Senior Application Scientist DeltaNu Raman spectroscopy, first discovered 85 years ago, has evolved into a valuable tool for the in-field identification of illicit substances. It allows law enforcement officers, first responders and crime scene investigators to collect the spectra of suspect substances such as narcotics, explosives and hazardous chemicals; this can be accomplished quickly, and with a high degree of accuracy. In this session, the speaker will discuss the advances in laser and digital detector technology that have made these devices possible, how testing in the field is accomplished, and how the results of the identification of illicit material can be used by law enforcement.
3:00 PM	Leadership Styles – What Works Best in Law Enforcement and Why Gregory Smith, Associate Director Institute for Law Enforcement Administration Why does Supervisor A manage his employees differently than Supervisor B? They are both law enforcement managers, but are they both leaders? And which of these managers obtains better results from his or her staff? The speaker will discuss psychological types and behaviors that influence how managers handle their job responsibilities. And he will describe how leaders can develop strategies for rewarding and supporting the natural strengths of employees.