The vast majority of citizen complaints and internal acts of employee misconduct encountered by government agencies are generated by a small number of problem individuals. It is crucial, therefore, that government agencies can successfully discipline these few “bad apples”.

In other cases, disciplinary action is necessary to hold essentially good employees accountable for misconduct that threatens agency operations. In these cases, making discipline stick is actually in the interest of the employee, as it can serve as a much needed “wake up call” to an employee before performance issues become so serious that termination is required or public safety is threatened.

Claims of unlawful sexual harassment levied against public safety agencies are extremely costly in terms of time, resources, finances and agency reputation—the public perception that those trusted to protect and serve are engaging in harassment can often erode public confidence.

“Taking the Lead”: Courageous Leadership for Today’s Public Safety Professionals provides public safety professionals of all ranks, sworn and civilian, with practical time-tested leadership lessons learned from the arena. The program has been developed to prepare today’s leaders to confront the new reality of heightened transparency and unprecedented expectations.

As one of the nation’s most experienced police chiefs, Harry P. Dolan, places a laser-like focus on specific leadership actions and traits that have led to success or failure when navigating challenging times. “We are not doomed to repeat history if we grow to understand that war stories may indeed be case studies. When combined with evidence-based research, these case studies and practical experience contain valuable leadership lessons."

This course introduces law enforcement personnel to effective, evidence-based strategies for policing domestic violence in a way that improves officer safety, increases victim safety, and seeks offender accountability regarding crimes of intimate partner violence. Using empirical research findings as a foundation, this course will expose officers to four types of intimate partner violence batterers. The course will reveal how each batterer type developed differently responds differently to criminal justice interventions. It will discuss what evidence-based actions officers can take to increase the likelihood the victim will cooperate with the prosecution process and leave the relationship for good. It will reveal the factors that increase the likelihood an officer will be assaulted at the scene, and the factors correlated with officer survival of assaults at these calls. It will address how to use information and physical evidence to help determine which party was the primary aggressor. Finally, it will discuss how to present documentation of the incident in a manner that best increases the chances for prosecution and conviction. This course is appropriate for any law enforcement personnel, including probation officers and prosecutors, who deal with cases of intimate partner violence.

Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (commonly referred to as sUAS or “drones”) are an emerging technology, which offers exciting possibilities for public safety. Drones are being used to aid in disaster relief, search and rescue and to provide situational awareness while keeping first responders out of harm’s way. Despite the many legitimate uses of drones, privacy advocates have raised concerns and in some cases have sought to prevent police agencies from using them. Several states have passed “drone legislation” which regulates the way drones may be used. In addition to state regulation, public safety agencies seeking to use a drone must also receive approval from the FAA. This two-day training course will assist you in getting your drone program off the ground.

This is a comprehensive course on how to investigate homicides and other suspicious deaths. Through the use of classroom lectures, video segments, photographs, case study exercises, and hands-on practical exercises, attendees will be provided with a thorough education in the specific techniques involved in these types of investigations. Taught by instructors with extensive backgrounds in death investigations, this course will cover such topics as initial response and securing the scene, crime scene search methods, obtaining search warrants, identifying and preserving forensic evidence, witness interviews, suspect interrogations, report writing, and testifying. The course will also discuss suicides, death investigations involving children, and the capabilities of forensic evidence analysis. Throughout this course an emphasis is placed on protecting constitutional rights, seeking the truth, avoiding false confessions, and respecting the victim’s family. This course is intentionally designed for law enforcement officers from all sizes of agencies that might be tasked with a death investigation.