Upcoming Events

08:00 – 08:30
Joint Session 

Welcome and Opening Remarks:  Purpose of Training
Lance J. LoRusso, Esq., LoRusso Law Firm/Blue Line Lawyer Institute

08:30 – 12:30

Life Under the Microscope: Real-Life Effects of LEA Errors
Lance J. LoRusso, Esq., LoRusso Law Firm/Blue Line Lawyer Institute

Law enforcement agencies (LEA) get tunnel vision just like individuals. Their actions, and the timing of those actions, can have devastating, long-term effects on the LEA, LEOs, and the community. This presentation engages a panel of Lance’s LEO clients to explore how to prepare for and manage critical incidents from the management and leadership perspective as well as how to balance and negotiate the political and legal challenges LEA face.

12:30 – 01:30

Lunch

01:30 – 03:30
General Session

The Ferguson Effect – Lessons Learned
Ron Replogle, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Colonel, Missouri State Highway Patrol (Ret.)

On August 9, 2014, Police Officer Darren Wilson shot and killed Michael Brown during an encounter in the streets of a Ferguson neighborhood.  The shooting and months long investigation, set off unprecedented rioting that the United States had not seen since the riots after the Rodney King case in Los Angeles in 1992.  The Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) responded to assist with the ensuing riots on the afternoon of the shooting.  Five days later Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, by executive order, placed the MSHP in charge of the law enforcement response to the civil unrest in Ferguson.  Troopers remained in Ferguson throughout the remainder of 2014 assisting local law enforcement in securing the city.  Hear of that experience and the lessons learned from Colonel Ron Replogle (ret), the Superintendent of the MSHP during the response. 

PIO Session

Making the Most of Your Environment and Equipment to Look Professional
Sergeant, Cobb County Police Department, Delk Media Group, LLC

Image and branding are almost as vital as the message you want to get to the public. It’s no longer enough to deliver information through traditional media, but it’s now vital to deliver messages to the public that we create ourselves. But creating professional looking content can be difficult and requires a lot of money and knowledge, right? Not necessarily. We’ll look at multiple ways to use your environment to your advantage as well as gear you probably already have to get great visual images and video to your public. All without breaking the bank. You will learn to use proper techniques from staging to lighting to mobile device cameras to better tell your agency’s story through visual media.

03:30 – 05:30
General Session

Let’s Talk About Stress: National FOP Wellness Initiatives
Sherri Martin, MA, LPCA, Director of Wellness Services, National Fraternal Order of Police

While it is no secret that the law enforcement profession is evolving and enduring perhaps some of the most tumultuous times in its history, not all changes have been negative.  The past decade has seen increased focus on officer mental health and wellness, with an eye toward not only decreasing rates of police suicide, but also improving the overall lives of law enforcement officers and their families.  In this presentation, important findings of the FOP Critical Issues In Policing Survey will be shared, including data on sources of stress for officers, prevalence of mental health issues, and availability and effectiveness of wellness services.  By listening to the voices of officers regarding their needs, the National FOP has created a suite of wellness services, built by officers for officers. 

PIO Session

How the News Is Made
Ross Cavitt, Communications Director, Cobb County Government

08:30 – 10:30 
General Session

Effects of PIO & LEA Information Disclosure Errors in Court
Christopher S. Brasher, Chief Judge (Ret.), Senior Judge,  Superior Courts of Georgia, Atlanta Judicial Circuit…

…will share tips, tricks and landmines for agency heads and PIOs during high profile trials.

PIO Session

Effective and Compassionate Approaches to Difficult Conversations
Tina Jaeckle, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Social Worker  

Approaching difficult conversations with co-workers, friends, and subordinates requires an understanding and overview of human and crisis behavior. More individuals each day are struggling with how to cope with the stressors in life. This two-hour course will provide an in-depth discussion on the positive impact of compassionate and effective communication approaches with others during challenging times.

10:30 – 12:30
General Session

Effective and Compassionate Approaches to Difficult Conversations
Tina Jaeckle, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Social Worker  

Approaching difficult conversations with co-workers, friends, and subordinates requires an understanding and overview of human and crisis behavior. More individuals each day are struggling with how to cope with the stressors in life. This two-hour course will provide an in-depth discussion on the positive impact of compassionate and effective communication approaches with others during challenging times.

PIO Session

From the Ground Up to Raving Fans: Building a Social Media Outreach Program
Sherry Bray, Information Office Manager, Kentucky State Police

12:30 – 01:30

Lunch

Joint Session
01:30 – 05:30

Force Science, 2022 Research into Officer Performance
Bill Lewinski, Ph.D., Executive Director, Force Science 

A review of the latest FS research on officer performance will begin with eye scan research involving a complex, dynamic, multi-officer, and assailant conflict where we demonstrated the connection to effective training and performance. In this study we destroyed the myth that high levels of arousal lead to poor performance.  It may be exactly the opposite.  Implications related to poor performance in a CI will be discussed with recommendations for improvement. This study also demonstrated that an officer’s eye scan in that incident, as an indication of their attentional focus, could not be correlated to their body cam recordings.  We will also present and discuss the most recent FS data on assailants’ actions and speed where we used accelerometers and gyroscopes which precisely measured speed and motion on a variety of assault behavior. This research was done to further establish a metric for officer training and incident analysis. The final study will present the value of a startle response in an ambush assault. The presentation will close with a case illustration.

Joint Session 
08:30 – 12:30

Political Prosecutions, How to Spot Them, Stop Them, and Survive Them
Lance J. LoRusso, Esq., LoRusso Law Firm/Blue Line Lawyer Institute

There has been a trend of using criminal charges and prosecution as a means to minimize or foreclose social unrest or gain political advantage.  Lance will use real world experience and case studies to empower attendees to detect and avoid these tragedies.

12:30 – 01:30

Lunch

01:30 – 03:30
General Session

FLETC Engagement with State, Local and Tribal Law Enforcement in Use of Force and Other Programs
William Fallon Charles “Skeet” Brewer

PIO Session

What Your LEO’s Attorney Wants Every PIO To Know
Lance J. LoRusso, Esq., LoRusso Law Firm/Blue Line Lawyer Institute

The first words from the face of the LEA often set the tone and drive the narrative. While there is always something to say and LEA and LEOs must tell their stories, the attorney who represents your LEO must negotiate the words the PIO chooses from the scene to the courtroom.

03:30 – 05:30
Joint Session

Challenges, Lessons Learned, and How to Retain the Best and the Brightest
Lance J. LoRusso, Esq., LoRusso Law Firm/Blue Line Lawyer Institute

No profession can survive without attracting and keeping the best and the brightest while keeping the elders of the profession engaged. The past several years have provided us with a database of failed policies and disastrous results. At LLF, we have seen these changes from a unique perspective. We will share our perspective along with those of the thought leaders we have assembled for the conference.