2008 Presentations
Keynote Speakers
Tuesday August 12, 2008
John W. Marshall
Secretary of Public Safety - Commonwealth of Virginia
On January 15, 2006, Governor Timothy M. Kaine appointed John W. Marshall to the position of Secretary of Public Safety. As Secretary of Public Safety, Marshall has responsibility for the oversight of 14 agencies and over 22,000 employees, including the Department of Corrections, Virginia National Guard and the Virginia State Police. Prior to his appointment by Governor Kaine, Marshall was appointed Secretary of Public Safety by Governor Mark R. Warner in January 2002.
John Marshall began his career in public service and law enforcement in 1980 as a Virginia State Trooper. During his 14 years with the Department of State Police, he also served as a Special Agent in the Narcotics Division, Sergeant-Instructor at the Training Academy and as a Sergeant assigned to Field Operations.
In 1994, President William J. Clinton appointed Marshall to serve as the United States Marshal for the Eastern District of Virginia. Later in 1999, President Clinton nominated Marshall to serve as the Director of the United States Marshals Service, our nation’s oldest federal law enforcement agency. Upon confirmation by the U.S. Senate, Marshall took office as Director in November of 1999. He is the first African-American to serve as the Director.
Secretary Marshall graduated from Georgetown University in 1988 with a B.A. in Government, and he also holds a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in the Administration of Justice from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Thursday August 14, 2008
Michelle Sigona
National Correspondent - America's Most Wanted
Michelle Sigona is a crime fighting extraordinaire as an on-air correspondent for the hit national television show; America’s Most Wanted (AMW). Michelle has covered breaking and historical stories such as September 11th, the D.C. region sniper attacks, Hurricane Isabel, Charles County arson fires (worst arson case in Maryland history) and the “Texas Seven Escape,” among many other crime related cases internationally including the controversial missing child case, Madeline McCann.
Crime is not the only thing Michelle battles! She fights fires, cuts people out of serious accidents, and helps the community on her spare time as a firefighter for the last 13 years in Maryland. She has also devoted many hours to keeping children drug-free, as a guest speaker and counselor for the DARE program, and has served as a volunteer in many different capacities for the American Cancer Society.
Michelle always understood that devotion is the key to success, as she worked seven days a week, and often “around the clock” to achieve her dreams. The journey began before graduating when she interned at AMW. From the moment she stepped in the door, Michelle knew that one day she would be a national on-air correspondent making a difference in the lives of victims. After her internship, Michelle was offered a full time job with the prime-time show and a part time position with a FOX affiliate in Washington, D.C. FOX soon promoted her to full-time, working on the assignment desk, writing for shows, and field producing stories. The news director, Katherine Green at WTTG, and the executive producer, Lance Heflin of AMW gave Michelle many opportunities to get her “feet wet” in the business, and over the course of a few years guided her on-camera training.
Michelle’s hard work quickly paid off, landing an on-air reporting position for Baltimore, MD news, then in Washington, D.C. -- as she graduated from the University of Maryland with a B.A. in Communications. In March 2006, Michelle met her lifetime goal of being a national correspondent for AMW where she currently works in front of the camera to solve high profile cases.
Now, she tracks down fugitives, helps investigators to make successful captures, and appears on many live national programs like Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC to talk about the interesting cases she is working on. Crime fighting is what she loves to do, and making a true difference in the lives of victims is a priority. Michelle credits her success to the good Lord who has answered many prayers, and guided her on the right path in life, and her extremely supportive family, especially her mom.
Plenary Session Presenters
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Tuesday August 12, 2008
Taylor Behl Sergeant Jason Hudson - Richmond Police Department Captain John Venuti - Richmond Police Department Sergeant Gary Natoli - Virginia Commonwealth University Police Department Taylor Behl was a 17 year old college freshman, who moved to Richmond, VA in August of 2005 to attend Virginia Commonwealth University. On Labor Day, September 5, 2005, Taylor Behl disappeared. Around two weeks later, Taylor Behl's remains were located by Richmond Police, in Matthews County, VA. After a number of suspects were questioned and interrogated, a man by the name of Benjamin Fawley was focused on. He was soon arrested on 16 counts of Child Pornography, and against his attorney's advice, he decided to talk to police investigators. Benjamin Fawley admitted to being with Taylor Behl on the night of September 5, 2005 into the early morning of September 6, 2005. He told the police investigators that her death was accidental, and was due to a consensual sex act. He told the investigators that he had panicked and dumped her body in a ravine. On August 9, 2006, Benjamin Fawley was convicted of second degree murder. After entering a Plea, Benjamin Fawley was given 30 years in prison. *PLEASE NOTE* This session is for law enforcement/public safety personnel ONLY. |
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Wednesday August 13th West Nickels Mine School Shooting LTC Jon D. Kurtz - Pennsylvania State Police Department Sergeant Douglas J. Burig - Pennsylvania State Police Department On the morning of Monday, October 2, 2006, a gunman by the name of Charles Carl Roberts IV, a 32 year old milk tank truck driver, entered the West Nickels Mine School and began taking female hostages. He ended his rampage by killing 5 girls, wounding 5 other girls, and then killing himself. Members of the Pennsylvania State Police will provide a detailed look into the October 2, 2006 shooting at a one room Amish schoolhouse in south central Pennsylvania. This incident garnered international attention and was the lead story on most major national news networks for nearly a week. Topics discussed in this presentation include:
• Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) Overview The presentation has been developed from the law enforcement perspective and is appropriate for a law enforcement audience. Major points will be made utilizing actual audio and video from the police response as well as some crime scene photographs. Lessons learned may be applied to the police response to any critical incident. *PLEASE NOTE* This session is for law enforcement/public safety personnel ONLY. |
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Breakout Session Descriptions |
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Understanding the Magistrate System Wilson Talavera - Magistrate Fairfax County 19th Judicial District Overview of The Virginia Magistrates’ Office new changes to existing system and how it may affect everyone. This presentation will highlight new changes to the magistrate system, how these changes affect service, new laws, how the magistrate office really works, and discuss hearings and how to be prepared for them. Presentation tracks include: (no prerequisites required for this class) This will be a 1 part session (90 minutes)
• Understand the new changes to the magistrate organization Stemming the Tide: How Police Departments Are Utilizing Gunshot Detection Technology To Reduce Gun Violence Ron Stein - ShotSpotter (Director, Product management) Whether confronted with a community or campus shooting, the ability to respond quickly and effectively reduces the amount of lives potentially lost. This presentation will provide an in-depth overview of how law enforcement agencies are utilizing gunshot location systems as an alert-and-response system, how they work, how law enforcement agencies use these systems to inform police of gun violent situations, and how data gathered by these systems are being used by police to target community gun violence. Topics will include how these systems can be utilized by community and campus police to provide situational awareness of the external, outdoor areas of collegiate campuses. The presentation will conclude by discussing the future of gunshot location systems including how these systems interface with common mass-alert and access control systems and how new technological innovations are bringing the gunshot location technology closer to detecting indoor gunfire. Presentation tracks include: (no prerequisites required for this class) This will be a 1 part session (45 minutes)
• Overview of Gunshot Detection and Location Technology
Hate in America Today
Laurie Wood - Intelligence Project, SPLC (Senior Intelligence Analyst/Law Enforcement Trainer) This session examines the wide variety of hate groups currently active in the United States, their history, activities, leaders, symbols, and more. Beginning with a broad overview of the various factions of the late movement, which includes the Ku Klux Klan, Neo-Nazi's, racist skinheads, black supremacists, and others, it will then focus on the most prominent national organizations currently active. Presentation tracks include: (no prerequisites required for this class) This will be a 2 part session (90 minutes each)
• The beliefs of far-right late groups active in America today Psychopathy of Violence and Aggression Sergeant Jim Baylor - Rice University Police Department (Training and Crime Prevention Coordinator) This presentation will examine the origins of aggressive behavior and it's correlation to violent conduct. The focus on understanding of aggressive behavior vs. violent behavior will be directed in the areas of sexually violent predators, relationship and dating violence, and stalking mentalities. At the conclusion of the session, the attendees will have an insight into the psychopathy of violence, personality disorders, and the dynamics of aggressive personality disorders. In addition, a look into the mindset of sexual predators, aggressive relationship behavior and dating violence, and the classifications of the "minds of stalkers" will be explored. The presentation will provide an insight into approaches to interviewing persons displaying antisocial behavior as well as learn how these behaviors affect the target/victim. Having this knowledge will help develop the apathetic skills necessary in helping a survivor of sexual, relationship or stalking violence. Presentation tracks include: (no prerequisites required for this class) This will be a 1 part session (90 minutes)
• Understanding the dynamics of violence and psychopathic
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George Mason University Police Department
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2009 Award for Merit
CUPIC 2009: August 4 - August 7, 2009.
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