Registration is open
We are excited to announce our 2022 training conference will held in historic Charleston, SC. The conference will be on beaches Kiawah Island just minutes south of downtown Charleston. The island and conference center offer many activities and outdoor adventures. The conference will be loaded with great training courses, guest speakers and tours of historic parks and landmarks. This will be a conference you will not want to miss so start planning today. More information to follow shortly.
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PLEA Annual Training Conference
March 1st to March 3rd, 2022
Kiawah Island Resort, South Carolina
Agenda
Monday, February 28
9 AM - 3 PM – Board of Directors Meeting – PLEA Executive Board and Board Members. Open to all PLEA members.
3 PM - 6 PM – Vendor Setup in Lobby Area. Check-in with PLEA Staff.
Golf for early arrivals.
4 PM - 6 PM – Registration
5 PM -10 PM – Networking Social – Hospitality Room
Tuesday, March 1
7:00 AM - 7:45 AM – Registration and Meet & Greet. Vendor set-up
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Vendor Exhibit open
8:00 AM – Opening Ceremonies. Welcome by PLEA President.
Colors and pledge by South Carolina State Park Rangers
8:30 AM – 10:30 AM – Lt. Greg Reyero, Texas State Parks Crimes Against Persons Training Unit - Presents; Interdiction for the Protection of Children
9:30 AM – Morning Break – Sponsored by Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Arkansas Fort Smith
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM – Chief Todd Hand
On the State of Police Reform
Synopsis of Discussion with Todd Hand
The need to reform policing in America has generated a contentious debate. Historically, these issues have come to the attention of the public as the result of major incidents of alleged, suspected, or obvious police misconduct, such as the systematic corruption that was unveiled by the 1972 Knapp and the 1994 Mollen Commissions investigations of New York City Police Department, the 1991 Rodney King beating, the 1999 Diallo shooting and the Louima brutality of 1997. The 21st century has brought yet another chapter of calls for police reform, demonstrating the obvious and ever-present connection between the administration of justice and politics, and the need for policing to adapt to changes in society.
The selection of law enforcement officers is an important function of policing agencies and has long-lasting effects on the communities in which they serve. The efficacy of these administrative choices are based upon established criteria from individual law enforcement agencies. Although these criteria vary from communities, states, and nations, there are universal commonalities. Additional demands have added responsibilities to law enforcement agencies such as terrorism threats, racial, ethnic, and political discourse, and technology. Physical and media attacks against policing have increased, some based on obvious wrongdoing as well as innuendo. Much has changed since Bellman’s (1935) “Police service rating scale” that was designed to weigh the public’s perceptions of police. Twenty-first century policing must adapt to new societal norms and expectations, thus the reassessment of police candidate traits that conform to these new expectations should be extremely relevant to law enforcement.
This discussion is designed to be interactive with attendees and meant to solicit meaningful discussion as to the state of our profession and the future direction of policing.
The Present Trends and the Future of Law Enforcement
Todd Hand
Greetings,
I am a veteran of over 33 years of law enforcement, serving with state, county, and city, academy certified in Pennsylvania, Florida, and Maine. I have spent over 25 years in supervisory positions, 15 of which have been in criminal investigations. In 2016, I retired as a Captain from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission and began teaching full-time at the post-secondary level.
Positions I have held in law enforcement include field training officer, crimes against person detective, public corruption investigator, senior investigator of the City of Pittsburgh Police Review Board, uniform patrol sergeant, special agent, supervisor of covert and death investigations, team leader for the Florida State Emergency Response Team, and chief of police.
I graduated from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Senior Leadership Program and hold a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology from The Penn State University and a master’s degree in Criminal Justice-Forensic Psychology from Saint Leo University. I am currently conducting research for my dissertation culminating a doctorate in Criminal Justice with a specialization in Domestic and International Terrorism and am member of the Omega Nu Lambda and Alpha Phi Sigma National Criminal Justice Honor Societies.
I have instructed at the Florida State Law Enforcement Academy for several years, teaching the investigation of violent crime, property crime, defensive tactics, firearms, and human trafficking. I also instructed two senior level undergraduate courses at Saint Leo University, specifically pertaining to the study of cold case homicide investigation.
Upon my State of Florida retirement in 2016, I began my employment as an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice for Unity College, in Maine. Unity College’s largest major was Conservation Law Enforcement. I taught classes in criminology, police ethics, law enforcement leadership, criminal investigation, senior capstone project classes involving cold case homicide investigations, and various traditional woodsman skill classes, and fly-fishing. I was the sponsor for the Unity College Karate Club and served on Unity College Policy & Procedures and Internship Committees.
I am an avid bird hunter and spend time in the ruffed grouse and woodcock areas of Maine and the pheasant fields of Central Pennsylvania with my two German Shorthaired Pointers, Ace, and Rufus. I look forward to engaging in conservation with all of you about our profession and its future. I will share what I have found during my research, and would greatly appreciate your perspectives on this important subject.
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM - Lunch (On your own)
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM - Phil Gains, Professor of Practice, Parks Recreation and Tourism Management, Clemson University, and former Director of South Carolina State Parks discusses trends in park law enforcement across the country.
3:00 PM – Afternoon Break
5:00 PM – 10:00 PM – Networking Social – Hospitality Room
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM - Optional walking tour of Historic Charleston. Sign up at conference registration desk.
Wednesday, March 2 - Field Trip
8:15 AM - Meet outside the lobby for bus transportation. Please be on time as we have a tight schedule to keep.
9:00 AM – Arrive at Fort Sumter National Park. Learn about where the American Civil War began and Fort Sumter's role from park rangers. Boat ride to the fort for tour and flag raising.
Fort Sumpter - Guardian of Charleston Harbor
Two forts stand at the entrance of Charleston Harbor. Patriots inside a palmetto log fort, later named Fort Moultrie, defeated the Royal Navy in 1776. As Charleston blazed a path towards secession to preserve slavery, construction on a new fort, Fort Sumter, proceeded. The Confederacy fired on the US garrison of Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861 opening the Civil War, which redefined American freedom.
12:00 PM – 3:00 PM – Historic Boone Plantation Tour and Gullah lunch.
Boone Hall Plantation was founded in 1681 when Englishman Major John Boone came to Charleston and established a lucrative plantation and gracious home on the banks of Wampacheone Creek. The family and descendants of Major Boone were influential in the history of South Carolina, the colonies and the nation. In 1743, the son of Major John Boone planted live oak trees, arranging them in two evenly spaced rows. This spectacular approach to his home symbolizes southern heritage and will take root in your memory for many years to come. It would take two centuries for the massive, moss-draped branches to meet overhead, forming today’s natural corridor and a scene. A unique presentation of “Exploring The Gullah Culture” can be experienced first hand. Boone Hall is the only plantation in the Charleston area to present a live presentation of this unique culture adapted by African slaves.
A unique presentation of “Exploring The Gullah Culture” can be experienced first hand. Boone Hall is the only plantation in the Charleston area to present a live presentation of this unique culture adapted by African slaves.
Tradition Southern Gullah Lunch Provided
3:00 PM – Depart for Hotel
4:00 PM – Arrive at Hotel
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM – Awards Banquet – Dinner is provided.
8:30 PM – 10:00 PM – Networking Social – Hospitality Room
Thursday, March 3
8:00 AM – 4:00 PM Key Note Speaker Rick Taylor Presented By:
https://commandpresence.net/
Not by Chance Leadership:
Creating Great Culture Through Intentional Leadership
Leadership Through Trust and Intentional Acts
Speaker Spotlight
Key Note Speaker Rick Taylor
Rick Taylor is a law enforcement professional who’s committed the last 27 years to serving his community. He is currently a Police Captain with the University of Florida Police Department, Community Services Division, where he oversees all community services and hiring/recruiting. Prior to his current position, he was an Assistant Chief of Police for the Lakeland Police Department in Lakeland Florida and oversaw Patrol Operations. He worked in every division of his agency, at all levels, before attaining his Assistant Chief position. He spent much of his career on SWAT while teaching multiple high-liability topics for his agency, the local police academy and throughout the Southeast United States. Rick is a FBI National Academy graduate (class 261), Senior Management Institute for Police – PERF graduate and holds a Masters of Public Administration degree from Troy University. He is also an active member of the Florida Police Chief’s Association while serving on their Training and Standards Board.
10:00 AM – Break – Sponsored by
12:00 PM - 1:15 PM - Lunch (on your own)
5:30 PM – 10:00 PM – Networking Social – Hospitality Room – Sponsored by
Friday, March 4
Good bye and please be safe! Hope to see you again next year!
Hotel Information
Kiawah Island Golf Resort
1 Sanctuary Beach Drive, Kiawah Island, South Carolina
You may call in your reservations to 800-654-2924, please reference group as Park Law Enforcement and/or the group booking number of 18308. Calls will be returned within 48-72 hours in the order received.
Deadline for making reservations is January 28th, 2022. Reservations received after this date will only be filled on a space-and-rate available basis.
You can email in your reservation using this form:
Hotel Call In form - Park Law.doc
To make your hotel room reservation please call 800-654-2924
