Staying Alive: The Below 100 Training Initiative

LEMIT is enlisting Texas law enforcement to help reduce deaths in the line of duty for police across the state and nation.

On Aug. 3, LEMIT will host Below 100, a nationwide movement to raise awareness about the most common fatal hazards facing police. The program provides innovative training with a goal of reducing deaths in the line of duty for the nation’s law enforcement officers to under 100 per year, a number not seen since 1943. The five basic tenets of the program are:

• Wear your seatbelt
• Wear your vest
• Watch your speed
• What's Important Now (WIN)?
• Remember Complacency Kills!

“These five actionable items will change police culture and save lives,” said James Senegal, Director of Professional Development at LEMIT. “It’s about each and every officer, trainer and supervisor taking individual and collective responsibility for the decisions and actions that contribute to safety.”

While many officers issue tickets to motorists who fail to wear seatbelts, police also need to use these safety devices. According to a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 42 percent of officers killed in motor vehicle collisions over the last 30 years were not using safety belts. Officers are more likely to be killed responding to a non-critical event than actually being on the scene of a call for police service. While many officers believe that seat belts are tactically unsafe, there are proven techniques to counter this myth that can be offered as practical exercises for quick release of safety belts at the scene or just prior to arriving on scene. Although there has been a rise in ambushes on police officers, officers must realize they are many times more likely to be involved in a vehicle crash than they are a felonious assault. “No matter what the vehicle codes says, you’re not exempt from the laws of physics,” Senegal said.

In recently years, there has been a spike in the number of officers who have been killed by gunfire, with an increase of 70 percent between 2008-2011. One-quarter of police department do not require personnel to wear bulletproof vests, and even in departments where it is mandated, administration often does not hold officers accountable if they fail to wear protective armor. Wearing a vest triples the likelihood that an officer will survive a shot to the torso.

Many law enforcement officers are dying in accidents, so it is important to watch your speed and to slow down. According to the National Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 42 percent of fatal law enforcement crashes involved a single vehicle that strikes a fixed object off the roadway. Excessive speed plays a role in half of deadly accidents involving officers. “We want to get there as quickly as we can, but step one is to get there safely. Slow down,” Senegal said.

WIN focuses on living in the moment, evaluating and prioritizing what’s going when an officer is on duty. It includes being in the proper mindset to go to work, paying attention to surroundings, planning ahead, and focusing entirely on the task at hand. Be prepared for trouble by focusing on what’s important now.

Complacency is feeling security while not aware of potential dangers. The law enforcement professions require high levels of motivation and awareness. Don’t take shortcuts in doing the job, using good tactics, or protecting personal safety. There are many instances in where complacency can kill with such simple actions as leaving keys in ignition of a squad car, forgetting to call in a traffic stop before approaching the vehicle, or failing to seek assistance for a building search. It is important to remind yourself daily to operate safely and effectively. “Complacency kills because it leaves us unaware of potential dangers,” Senegal said.

LEMIT will offer a day-long class to train officers and supervisors to be aware of these potential dangers on the job. For more information, contact Charlotte Harding at (936) 294-3482 or email clh021@shsu.edu.

SHSU Study Tests Success of Hot Spot Deployments

Hot spot policing is most successful in reducing street crimes in small area with the highest crime rates through long-term concentrated patrols, according to researchers at Sam Houston State University, College of Criminal Justice.

Alumnus Helps Build School District Police Force

After serving as a police officer in Jacksonville and Police Chief in Brownfield and Cockrell Hill, Alumnus Bill Avera “retired” to help start a police department for the Dallas Independent School District (DISD).

Organizing and Assisting Criminal Cases for Trial

As a Criminal Investigator with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, Alumnus Paul B. Smithers’ job is to organize and assist prosecutors with cases set for trial. The criminal investigator is a support staff member for the assigned prosecutor.

Lessons Learned from Unsubmitted Sexual Assault Kits

Criminal justice agencies need to be prepared to follow up on sexual assault cases with a victim-centered approach to improve responses to these crimes in their communities, according to research findings from Sam Houston State University.

Director Lends a Helping Hand to Texas Chiefs

For Donna Garcia, her career has always been about providing education, training, and professional development programs to help bring out the best in people.

“I love working with these amazing people,” Donna Garcia said about Texas Police Chiefs. “The executives in Texas law enforcement today are highly professional, well trained, and caring individuals. While I provide support to them through executive leadership development, I receive so much more in return. They inspire me with their heroism and selflessness in a tough career. I consider being a good listener a very important part of my job. My job is not to tell police chiefs what they need, but rather listen as they share their issues and concerns and then help meet those needs through our programs.

Garcia has been working with Texas Police Chief programs for eight years and was recently promoted to Director of Executive Development at the Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT). She hopes to expand professional development opportunities for top law enforcement executives in Texas.

Garcia has worked in adult education and training throughout her career. Before joining LEMIT, she coordinated adult education programs at Coastal Bend College, which serve Atascosa, Bee, Brooks, Duval, Jim Wells, Karnes, Kleberg, Live Oak, and McMullen counties. She also served as a Continuing Education Supervisor as well as in Human Resources for the Windham School District, which provides educational programs for offenders in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Before moving back to Huntsville in 2008, she served as Human Resources Manager for Management and Training Corporation in Henderson, Texas.

“It’s always been about providing adults the opportunity to post-secondary education or employees to excel through professional development,” Garcia said.

At LEMIT, Garcia manages three programs for Texas Police Chiefs, including the New Chief Development Program, the Texas Police Chief Leadership Series and the Texas Major Cities Police Chief Leadership Series. She also oversees the Command Staff Leadership Series. Since 1997, LEMIT has provided the state-mandate professional development programs for top law enforcement executives in the state.

The New Chief program addresses professional development and job-related skills necessary to perform successfully in the police chief role. This year’s programs include critical race-related issues affecting contemporary law enforcement, property and evidence room management, employee relations, political survival, media relations, effective policies and procedures, budget development and management, and the role and rules of the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.

The Texas Police Chief Leadership Series focuses on new trends and issues facing law enforcement in the state. This year’s program includes employee relations, officer fitness, legal updates, emerging technology such as body-worn cameras, a Ferguson case study, and Blue Courage: The Heart and Mind of the Guardian.

The Texas Major Cities series is designed for chiefs of agencies in urban centers with populations of over 100,000. The primary purpose of this series is to focus on issues and strategies in the urban environment, particularly policy, and program development. The sessions feature national and international experts in the field and emphasize interchanges among the participants.

The Command Staff Leadership Series is designed to allow the second-in-command at law enforcement agencies to undergo the same training as the chiefs so they can be up-to-date on the key topics happening in the profession. To learn more about programs in executive development, visit the Texas Police Chief’s page http://www.lemitonline.org/programs/tpc/ or the Command Leadership page http://www.lemitonline.org/programs/csls/ or call Donna Garcia at (936) 294-3852 or at Donna.Garcia@shsu.edu.

Big City Chiefs Explore New Concepts in Leadership

Police chiefs from major cities across Texas gathered in June in Fort Worth to learn about the latest leadership issues in the field of law enforcement.

Among the topics discussed at the biennial professional development session were recent research on leadership models, the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, and the Blue Courage philosophy. The courses were taught by national professionals and academics in criminal justice and including representatives from cities with populations over 100,000, including Arlington, Austin, Corpus Christi, Fort Worth, Grand Prairie, Houston, Irvington, Laredo, Lewisville, Lubbock, Mesquite, Pasadena, and San Antonio.

In April, a similar training was held which included top law enforcement leaders from Arlington, Austin, Beaumont, Carrollton, Dallas Area Rapid Transit Police, Fort Worth, Garland, Houston, Killeen, McKinney, Midland, Odessa, Plano, and Wichita Falls.

“Numerous leadership models exist to provide philosophical and practical guidance to police executives,” said Donna Garcia, Director of Executive Development at LEMIT. “This provided an overview of contemporary leadership models and allowed chiefs to reflect on and share their ideas on what works best in their cities.”

Dr. Joseph Schafer of Southern Illinois University discussed major leadership models being used in law enforcement as well as the latest research on their strengths and weaknesses. He also presented new information collected from police leaders who participated in the FBI’s National Academy, which provides insight on their perceptions of effective leadership practices and traits.

Sarasota Police Chief Bernadette DiPino led the discussion on how to implement recommendations from the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. DiPino and her colleagues represented one of 40 cities invited to the White House to address police reforms and ways to improve relations between police and the communities. DiPino said Sarasota has implemented several programs, including using social media, increasing legitimacy, and building relationships and trust in the community.

In response to unrest between citizens and police in cities across America, the President’s Task for 21st Center Policing identified best practices and recommendations on reducing crime while building public trust. Among the core pillars of the report were building trust and legitimacy, implementing policies and oversight, adopting technology and social media, using community policing and crime reduction, developing training and education, and offering officer wellness and safety.

Michael Nila, managing partner of Blue Courage, introduced police chiefs to the program, a model designed to inspire the noblest of character and unquestioned devotion in the profession. The program is designed to change the way that law enforcement views policing, themselves, those they serve, and the performance of their duties. The program focuses on understanding respect for others, building resiliency to manage stress and function at peak capacity, and adopting the need for positive psychology as part of overall health and wellness.

Nila spent 29 years in law enforcement enforcement before retiring as the Police Commander of the Aurora, IL. Police Department. He has trained and certified thousands of employees in Blue Courage, including police departments in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, the U.S. Department of Justice, the United Nations, military and government agencies, and Fortune 500 companies.

Crossing the Yellow Line: Serial Killers at LEMIT

A 15-year investigator with the Houston Police Department Homicide Division provided an inaugural program on investigating serial killers at the Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas.

“Information is the most valuable tool an investigator has,” said Det. Darcus Shorten. “Investigations are always changing. If we don’t exchange information and share the pros and the cons and the highs and the lows, we won’t have tools that we need. I am hoping these officers take away advanced knowledge through my case studies, and they can use my mistakes or positive aspects to build a better case.”

Using infamous serial killer cases – as well as her own experiences investigating serial crimes and murders in Houston – Det. Shorten discussed the tools and the strategies used to unravel complex cases. Det. Shorten helped solve serial rape cases in Acres Homes (see Texas Monthly). She also discussed such well-known Houston cases as the East Ending killings, where two women and a teenaged girl were murdered, and Coral Eugene Watts, dubbed the Sunday Morning Slasher for killing up to 100 women in Texas, Michigan, and Canada.

Serial killers are defined as those who murder three or more people over a period of more than 30 days. These killers may be driven by anger, the thrill, financial gain, attention, or “pure evil,” Shorten said. Serial killers are classified by category, including those suffering from delusions and hallucinations, those seeking power and control, those on a mission, and those that kill for the thrill and rush. They can be organized, impulsive, or mixed in their approach to murders.

In many cases, serial killers prey on prostitutes because they are easy victims. Many prostitutes lack a family structure, are involved in drug abuse, suffer from mental illness, have a history of sexual abuse or trauma, and are less likely to have a missing person report filed. Prostitutes also are vulnerable because they frequently solicit in public places and then go to a car or a secluded area to perform sexual acts. They also are susceptible to physical or sexual assaults.

It also is vital to analyze links to find relationships among cases, including people, organizations, transactions, and crimes. Those links may include a common location or area, the type of weapon used, a description of a vehicle, DNA from suspects, or features of or phrases used by a suspect. It is important to organize this information using software programs, or such tools as evidence logs, smart boards, or white boards. Among the evidence captured can be names, case numbers, locations, methods, cause of death, suspects, vehicles, etc.

Det. Shorten also used forensic interviewing with victims, asking for sensory-based details about the suspect and crime scene, such as distinguishing features, smells, tastes or clothing.

Databases also are valuable tools to help link suspects and cases. The Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database includes DNA profiles from actual crime scenes and can provide potential matches to suspects. In fact, during the Acres Homes serial cases, Det. Shorten carried mini DNA swab kits to test individuals identified as potential suspects in the field. Another database that is used is the FBI’s Violent Crime Apprehension Program (VICAP), which maintains information on homicides and sexual assaults nationwide as well as missing and unidentified persons. It is a valuable tool for linking cases and tracing timelines of when suspects were in the area. The FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit also can help develop a profile of the killer or killers, identifying potential details about their physical appearance, lifestyle, and location.

Patrol officers also are vital components to help solve serial crime. Officers continually should be provided with sketches to help identify suspects or key features. It is important to reinforce the need to preserve the crime scene and to consider the collection of trace evidence in the field whenever possible to help preserve evidence. That evidence could disappear when the body is transported.

Another crucial element in the investigation of serial cases is the medical examiner’s office. While some cases may appear as undetermined or accidental drug overdose deaths, it is important to look at the entire body for clues. “The whole body is evidence,” Shorten said.

Strategy is also necessary when interviewing a suspect. The interviewing officer should meet the suspect and begin to build a rapport before arriving in the interview room. “Know your case,” said Det. Shorten. “Know your suspect. Stay alert and determined.”

“Crossing the Yellow Line - Serial Killers” is expected to be held in the future. For more information, contact Yvette Shorten at t (936) 294-3851 or email her at wys001@shsu.edu

Finance Director Spearheads On-line Education at LEMIT

After 16 years of experience with finance and contracts at Sam Houston State University, Tammy Douget recently joined the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas as Director of Finance.

In addition to handling budget and finance for state-mandated programs for Police Chiefs and Constables, Douget is spearheading efforts to bring new opportunities to professionals in the field through online education. She expects to launch the first online program for law enforcement in the fall. The program will highlight new laws passed by the Texas Legislature that impact day-to-day operations in the field

“With every new law, there needs to be training for law enforcement,” said Douget. Douget is devoted to the mission of LEMIT and is eager to find new revenue sources to deliver more high-quality programs to the law enforcement community.

“I like what LEMIT stands for,” said Douget. “It’s committed to providing exceptional education, professional development, resources, and services to law enforcement in Texas. It inspires excellence in leaders and enhances the effective delivery of services to our communities.”

Douget began her career in SHSU’s Office of Contracts and Grants and was later assigned to the College of Criminal Justice, where she served as Finance Manager of Criminal Justice Contracts and Grants. For almost a year, she served both the College and LEMIT, but found that LEMIT offered the “perfect fit” for her career.

“I have been involved in contracts and grants, both pre and post reward, on the academic side,” said Douget. “I understand funding and the University finance system, and I understand funding sources.”

LEMIT’s new online offerings will join Project EnCriPT, which provide online and hands-on training for environmental enforcement professionals, including law enforcement officers, firefighters, sanitarians, and code enforcers. LEMIT received a three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection to provide the free, nationwide program, which currently includes six online courses, such Illegal Dumping of Nonhazardous Waste; Environmental Sampling Overview; Personal Safety for Environmental Enforcement Professionals; How to Handle the Media; and Introduction to Environmental Investigation. It also offers a cohort model to allow participants to take a course together and to interact using an online discussion board as well as writing assignments. Finally, in-person training was held at Sam Houston State University and in Missoula, Montana to provide hands-on experience in the field.

For more information on LEMIT’s online offerings, visit Project EncCriPT at http://www.lemitonline.org/environmental/ or contact Douget at icc_tlw@shsu.edu.