Sergeant Aaron Snyder is 17-year veteran of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) having worked in Operations, Narcotics, as an NRO Bicycle Officer and spent three years as a member of the IMPD Motorcycle Drill Team. Since 2012 Snyder has managed Officer Wellness and Development programs at IMPD in addition to the IMPD Career Leadership Development Academy where he assisted in the development of the 4-week Leadership Academy program and the Master Patrol and Master Detective programs. Sergeant Snyder has a B.S. in Exercise Physiology from Ball State University (IN) and is a certified Indiana Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) instructor. He has previously presented at IACP, NOBLE and ILEETA conferences on the topics of Resiliency, Wellness, Development, Mentoring and Leadership. He is responsible for managing the Office of Professional Development and Wellness (OPDW) and the DOJ/BJA/COPS Micro-grant which was awarded to the IMPD Wellness office as part of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing 6th Pillar on Officer Safety and Wellness.

James is a 26-year veteran of the Indianapolis Metro Police Department,
having spent the majority of that time on the street.  He is also an 18.5-year
member of SWAT having retired from the team in April of 2015.  James
retired from the department on February 14, 2018.  Throughout his career
he has been involved in numerous critical incidents including three lethal
police action shootings.  He has spent over 16 years as a Firearms
Instructor for the department. James was also a Deputy U.S. Marshal in
Washington D.C. for two years prior to IMPD.  He has attended numerous
schools including firearms, explosive breaching, SWAT, and executive
protection. James has a B.S. degree from Indiana University.  He is
travelling around the country speaking on Officer Involved Shootings for
Dolan Consulting Group and was a presenter at the 2017 I.A.C.P in
Philadelphia and the 2018 ILLETA conference in St. Louis.

Chief Savage is a 35-year police veteran who brings over 20 years of public safety executive experience planning and responding to critical incidents. He is one of the most experienced public safety emergency response professionals in the country.

Chief Savage recently retired as the chief of operations for the Grand Rapids Police Department. He is a second generation Grand Rapids Police Officer, following in the footsteps of his father, Tom. During his career, he has worked in Patrol, Investigations, and for the majority of his career, on the Special Response Team, where he has served as Commander since 1997. He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 1990, Lieutenant in 1995, and in 2011, he was made Acting Captain of the West Service Area. He remained in that position when he was permanently promoted to Captain in 2012 and went on to serve as Interim Police Chief for nearly three months in 2014 before being promoted to Deputy Chief of Police.

Chief Savage holds instructor certifications in various weapon systems, less-lethal devices and munitions, chemical agents, distraction devices, SWAT team tactics, and high-risk patrol tactics. He is a member of the National Institute of Justice Less-Lethal Technical Working Group and SWAT Technical Working Group. He has instructed less-lethal tactics and techniques around the United States and in Europe and has had the honor of participating in three International Law Enforcement Forums in the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States, representing United States Law Enforcement.

Additionally, Deputy Chief Savage has instructed other law enforcement agencies on the topic of Arrest Related Deaths, for the Michigan Municipal Risk Management Authority. Deputy Chief Savage is active with the West Michigan Tactical Officers Association and in the National Tactical Officers Association, as a product evaluator. He has also attended numerous SWAT and leadership training courses throughout the United States. Chief Savage is a graduate of the 217th Session of the FBI National Academy and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Grand Valley State University.