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2023 NSA Annual Conference
June 26-29, 2023
DeVos Place Convention Center
Grand Rapids, MI

LEADERSHIP SEMINARS

All seminars are located at the Kansas City Convention Center, unless otherwise noted.

What Leadership Needs to know about the Liability and Lethality of Domestic Violence

Monday, June 27, at 8:00am in Room 2214

PRESENTERS: Michael LaRiviere, Law Enforcement Trainer, Salem Police Department

DESCRIPTION: This session will focus on the many areas of liability that exist when deputies respond to domestic violence calls as well as the unrecognized lethality of domestic violence offenders to their victims, responding officers and the community as a whole.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

  • A better understanding of the liability that exists around domestic violence response.
  • Knowledge of the unrecognized lethality of domestic violence offenders.
  • Strategies to address domestic violence liability and lethality

Leading your Agency Through Tragedy

Monday, June 27, at 9:15am in Room 2214

PRESENTER: Dianne Bernhard, Executive Director, Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.); and Shelley Jones, Executive Director, Survivors of Blue Suicide

DESCRIPTION: The global pandemic and increased violence in our nation’s cities have led to a sharp uptick in the number of line of duty deaths. Law enforcement administrators are becoming increasingly more likely to be faced with the challenge of leading their agency through a loss. When a death occurs, all eyes are on the Sheriff for direction and response. The changing dynamics between the different types of deaths can present a challenge to administrators who are navigating their response. This class will provide an analysis of the data surrounding line of duty death and will explain the recent legislative changes. There will also be a discussion regarding officers who have died by suicide. This class will address tough decisions Sheriffs will be faced with and will include strategies on how best to respond.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

  • The attendee will understand the line of duty death trends.
  • The attendee will understand the different dynamics surrounding each type of loss that they may experience and appropriate strategies to respond.
  • The attendee will understand the recent legislative changes to the Public Safety Officers’ Benefit Program as well as the Safeguarding America’s First Responders Act of 2020 and the Protecting America’s First Responders Act of 2021.

Practical Employee Relations for Leaders in Law Enforcement

Tuesday, June 28, at 2:00pm in Room 2211

PRESENTER: Michael J Mirarchi, President, Mirarchi Management Group

DESCRIPTION: This session provides scripts and tactics for handling sensitive employee relations situations with good judgment, sensitivity, and high confidence: Addressing personality and attitude problems, responding to employee complaints, changing and enforcing attendance, performance, and conduct standards, conducting on-the-spot counseling, resolving personal hygiene problems, inspiring good performance. A result is greatly reduced legal exposure, as the result of “Reset The Clock,” a process that prevents an attorney from taking something leaders did wrong in the past and using it to support lawsuits in the future. Questions are encouraged and answered directly.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

  • Minimize their department and personal liability risks of leadership, avoid bad publicity and maximize trust with their sworn and non-sworn staff.
  • Handle employee relations situations involving sworn and non-sworn staff with good judgment, sensitivity, and high confidence.
  • Effectively set, communicate and enforce new attendance, performance, and conduct standards in both union and non-union environments.

Cartels, Violent Extremists and Mass Shooters: The Social Media Nexus

Tuesday, June 28, at 4:30pm in Room 2211

PRESENTERS: Paul Goldenberg, President/CEO, Cardinal Point Strategies; Mark Genatempo, Managing Director, Cardinal Point Strategies; and Charles Giblin, Senior Advisor, CAPSS

DESCRIPTION: During this session, attendees will learn how social media has been leveraged by violent extremists, mass shooters, and more recently cartels, to support their operations, further their ideologies, and recruit for their causes. Recent incidents and activities will be highlighted to further substantiate the nexus between these groups and their use of social media.  In addition, recent legislative activities and their impact on law enforcement and operations at our US borders will be detailed during this presentation. 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

  • Attendees will learn the methodologies and tactics used by mass shooters, violent extremists and cartels to leverage social media to expand their operations
  • Implications for Sheriffs will be detailed as to what criminal activities can be expected as a result of these groups’ use of social media
  • Solutions for Sheriff’s offices and deputies to monitor and mitigate this threat will be detailed

21st CENTURY LEADERSHIP:  Passion, Not Position

Thursday, June 30, at 8:00am in Room 2207

PRESENTERS: Charlie Wharton, Chaplain, St. Mary’s County (MD) Sheriff’s Office

DESCRIPTION: Becoming a leader is the greatest honor that can be bestowed upon an individual and, if taken seriously, it can be the apex of our lives – personally and professionally. While leadership can provide of a sense of accomplishment, too often leaders misunderstand what is being asked of them. Leading is not merely being placed in a supervisory role nor should it be confused with being asked to manage a project or people. Being a leader is a lifestyle that purposefully and positively influences the lives of those around them!

The goal of this seminar is to be proactive in helping people become “leaders”. Our focus is not on how to shape the vision of others; rather, it is on how we can assist others in being their best.

Among topics addressed in this training are:

  • Determining The “Why” (Focus) Of Our Leadership – By coming up with a simple; but, powerful answer to “Why do I need to be a leader?” we can continually stay passionate and focused. In this section we will take a look at how to develop our own personal “Why Statement” that provides us with the compass we need to be effective leaders and discuss the need to always keep this foremost in our minds.
  • The Necessity Of Emotional and Social Intelligence – Successful leadership is not about being the smartest or having the best technical skills – it is being a “people person”. Academic and technical knowledge is good; but, the most effective leaders are those who work well with people. By using the basics of Emotional Intelligence (self-awareness, self-control, motivation, empathy and social skills) we will help leaders discover what they can do to help those whom they lead become the best they can be.
  • Inspiriting Others – The Bottom Line Of Leadership – The paramount definition of leadership is “inspiring others to become the best they can be”. We can (and should) share our goals, values and visions with those we have been called to lead; but, the essence of an effective leader is helping others reach their potential not promoting our agenda. In essence, it is promoting “servant leadership”.
  • Building Trust (Relationships) With Our Constituents And Other Leaders – The most important thing a leader does is build relationships. One of the cornerstones of solid relationships is being able to trust one another. In this section we will evaluate the importance of being proactive in building trust among those we have been asked to lead as well as in our relationships with other leaders within our organization. Trust can be cemented over time; but, by being proactive in showing trust and being trustworthy we can expedite its presence in our relationships.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

  • Participants will be challenged to identify the purpose of their leadership
  • Participants will recognize the need for emotional and social intelligence to lead
  • Participants will see value of building trust within the agency to inspire others to reach their potential

The 1998 Tampa Shooting

Thursday, June 30, at 9:15am in Room 2207

PRESENTERS: Martin Castellanos, Instructor/Owner, UMTC, LLC

DESCRIPTION: The 1998 TAMPA SHOOTING: On May 19th, 1998 a homicide suspect escaped and murdered three Florida law enforcement officers in the process. This one-hour case study reviews the detainee procedure and crisis negotiation lessons learned that have helped shape law enforcement officer safety across the U.S. In addition, the speaker offers training and leadership considerations throughout the presentation.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

  • Discuss the events surrounding this tragedy, while honoring the fallen officers and the child victim.
  • Review a technique/best practice for transporting a detainee in an uncaged vehicle when necessary.
  • Discuss the state law that resulted from this incident.

A Higher Standard: CBD and Legal Issues for Senior Leadership

Thursday, June 30, at 10:30am in Room 2207

PRESENTERS: Joseph Haefner, Acting Chief Counsel, FLETC; and Erik Scramlin, Attorney-Advisor, FLETC

DESCRIPTION: Each year, senior leadership and agency administrators face the difficult challenge of discerning between state and local decriminalization of marijuana and federal regulations of controlled substances, particularly in areas of employment law and ethics. While individual use cases are the most visible type of concern, the investment in cannabis-related businesses and the potential restrictions on firearms ownership for users of CBD and cannabis-related products often blindside agencies. This is especially true given investment opportunities in cultivation and dispensaries and the explosion of CBD oils and derivative products in the marketplace.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

  • At the conclusion of the presentation, participant will be able understand the inclusion of marijuana as a Schedule I Controlled substance while legalized for sale and distribution for both medical and recreational use in 19 states nationwide.
  • At the conclusion the presentation the participant will be able to understand the nature of CBD derivatives and products containing THC.
  • At the conclusion of the presentation the participant will be familiar with how administrative boards are ruling on employee misconduct involving the use and cultivation of cannabis.