For the week of July 1 thru July 7, 1998  

Peace officers hold conference in Sun Valley

Over 100 officers meet, locals are honored


The 68th annual Idaho Peace Officers Training Conference was staged June 8-10 at Sun Valley Inn.

Over 100 officers attended the three-day conference, which was held in conjunction with the Idaho Chiefs of Police, Idaho Criminal Justice Council and the Idaho Crime Prevention Association.

Welcoming the participants on the morning of Monday, June 8 was IPOA president Mark Lockwood, sergeant with the Sun Valley Police Department. Sun Valley Mayor Tom Praggastis gave the opening address.

Training was divided into three tracks: (1) Management and Supervision; (2) Investigative Techniques; and (3) Use of Force. Nationally- and internationally-known trainers were in attendance.

Among topics were domestic terrorism issues, policing in the next century, strategy/tactics during high-risk response and credit card fraud.

Terry Mangan, formerly chief of police in Spokane, Wash. and now with the FBI’s Leadership/Management Sciences Unit, talked about the ever-increasing threat of terrorism presented by groups within the United States.

Covering the recent incident with the "Freemen" in Montana, Mangan talked about the means by which law enforcement can become proactive in dealing with these types of threats. He emphasized that Idaho is not immune from such terrorism.

"Policing in the 21st Century," was the topic of Steven Kernes, a top trainer from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center at Glynco, Ga. Kernes gave an overview of challenges facing law enforcement in the new century.

Kernes pointed out that crimes like fraud and scams will increasingly take place against the growing retired sector of the population. Computer crime will require policing in technology, he said, which will put law enforcement officers in contact all over the globe.

High-risk response tactics was the focus of a discussion by Tom Bowman, an instructor for Midwest Tactical Training Center and an associate professor at the Police Training Institute of the University of Illinois.

In developing an effective strategy to deal with a high-risk situation, Bowman stressed the importance of slowing the incident down—if time permits—and formulating a plan that would decrease the amount of risk to officers on the scene.

Boise Police Dept. Detective Mike Riebs presented training in "Credit Cards, Checks and Con Games." Just in time for the summer season, Detective Riebs provided a brush-up of the methods of investigation and criteria needed for successful case preparation in such crimes.

Honors are given out

Several local officers received awards from organizations at the conference during the June 10 awards banquet in the Limelight Room of Sun Valley Inn.

Recognizing their efforts in raising over $12,000 for the Idaho Peace Officers Memorial, the Idaho Criminal Justice Council gave "Honorable Service Awards" to Bellevue Marshal Jeff Gunter and Hailey Police Dept. Captain Brian McNary.

Their fund-raising efforts assisted in the construction of the memorial, which is located on the grounds of the Department of Law Enforcement at Meridian, Idaho.

Sergeant Ron Taylor of the Blaine County Sheriff’s Dept. earned the "Practitioner of the Year" award from the Idaho Crime Prevention Association, for his efforts in crime prevention over the past year. Sgt. Taylor was a repeat winner in the area of crime prevention.

Sergeant Mark Lockwood accepted a plaque and new firearm for his service as president of the Idaho Peace Officers Association.

During his tenure, the association made several financial contributions to the officers of the state.

First, the association presented the Idaho POST Academy with money to assist in the completion of the Idaho Peace Officers Memorial.

The association presented funds to the Boise Police Department to help with the meal for those attending the funeral of Officer Mark Stalls. This spring, the association provided funding to help send Officer Stalls’ wife and children to the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Ceremony in Washington, D.C.

In addition, the association in the past year was able to help prepare and pass legislation that made it a felony to "Attempt or to Disarm a Peace Officer." Large strides were made on redefining the disability laws that cover peace officers in the state of Idaho.

Sergeant Lockwood, who just completed a year as president, previously had served for three years as IPOA vice president. He plans to move on to a board member position with the IPOA, with the intention of focusing on legislative issues including retirement and disability for Gem State law enforcement officers.

He said he appreciated the support of Sun Valley Police Dept. Chief Cam Daggett and the city of Sun Valley during his term as president of the Idaho Peace Officers Association.

 

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