2016 Program

This workshop will explore the challenges facing colleges and universities where students fall prey to abduction and exploitation.  Participants will learn about the factors which contribute to victimization, examples of students who have been the victims of kidnapping, abductions and sexual exploitation in the college setting.  Participants will also learn about the growing challenge of students who are increasingly caught up in commercial exploitation and the warning signs that this form of victimization may be happening in your community.

Offenders thrive in a rape-prone, rape/violence myth-accepting culture. This workshop will explore many societal myths and bias that enable the offender to operate successfully among us without suspicion and detection. Participants will discuss how they deceive, why they do what they do, and how we can peer through the fog and identify them and their horrific acts. Participants will be presented with up-to-date research, case studies, and strategies on understanding sex offenders from a criminal justice viewpoint. They will build on education, theories, promising best practices, and research to actively and intentionally change our culture to reduce—with a vision, to eliminate—sexual assault, child abuse and domestic violence in our society.

Participants will learn how to help victims of intimate partner violence and sexual assault create individualized plans to help reduce the risks they and their children face. This workshop will move past the basic safety plan and will look at how safety planning differs based on unique circumstance, including: accessing the courts, child support, military, teens, emotional safety planning and technology.

In a collaborative effort between the Dallas Police Department Training and Homicide Units and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center Behavioral Science Division, this video-intensive course was developed to examine successful interrogation techniques. The course offers a unique perspective in the art of interrogation by incorporating three parts: the actual interrogation video, video interviews from the detective who conducted the interrogation and video interviews of the convicted killer. The course will show rapport, planning and core principles of interrogation from the perspective of the confessed killer. The techniques shown are applicable to all interviews and interrogations.

The Art of Perception (www.artfulperception.com) is a professional development program that provides training for leaders in law enforcement to enhance their observation, perception, and communication skills by learning to analyze works of art. In this highly participatory workshop, individuals revisit both the application of their perception skills and the ability to communicate concisely and effectively in a variety of law enforcement contexts. The interactive program has been specifically designed to address the role of perception and observation in crime scene analysis, investigation, surveillance and human trafficking as well as the importance of precise articulation in exchanges of critical information. Art and photography are also used as tools to reconsider assumptions, bias, and related ethical issues encountered by law enforcement professionals in their practice.

Do you understand the difference between lying and the effects of trauma on a person’s ability to describe events? This presentation helps criminal justice professionals understand basic scientific concepts concerning the neurobiology of trauma so that victims of traumatic crimes will be understood, increasing the success of sexual assault cases.

This session will enable participants to see offender manipulation through the eyes of the victim, law enforcement, and advocates, and its impact. This session will enhance the participants’ understanding of the power, control and manipulation tactics used against the victim and the service provider as well as probable cause, interpretation of injuries, justifiable self-defense and determining dominant/primary aggressor.

The White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault called upon The Institute on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault to conduct research on campus police response to and prevention of campus sexual assault. Collaborative research with campus police partners resulted in the Blueprint for Campus Police. This workshop presents the Blueprint as a policing tool to improve response to campus sexual assault. The Blueprint has three focus areas: prevalence and climate study data, policies and procedures, and skill building to assist chiefs, investigators, and patrol officers with victim-centered, trauma-informed approaches. Participants will be able to identify strategies for improving investigation, prevention, and community partnerships to better serve victims and promote campus safety.

All public and private institutions of higher education who receive federal financial aid are required to comply with two major federal laws that create complex and cumbersome compliance requirements: Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (“Title IX”) and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (“Clery Act”). On October 20, 2014, the Department of Education published final regulations for the Clery Act as amended by the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (“VAWA”), specifically, in Title III, Section 304 of VAWA. As a result of the changes to the Clery Act, institutions now have more significant and intricate requirements with regard to compliance, especially as it relates to policies, procedures and reporting requirements pertaining to sexual assault. This workshop will examine the general requirements of both laws, as well as note the significant intersections that exist between the Clery Act and Title IX as a result of the recent amendments. The workshop will also draw on relevant Department of Education guidance and advise institutions on practical steps they need to take now in order to meet compliance requirements.

We live in a world – a country – where women and children are being sold for sex. Sadly; slavery is thriving here in the United States and abroad. It is an estimated $32 billion dollar a year industry treating victims as a commodity to be repeatedly bought and sold. This business is thriving while women and children are dying. How did we get here and more importantly how do we respond as a country and a community? This workshop will speak to both of those questions as well as detailing the impact of this crime on its vulnerable victims.

Working with Latinas who have been affected by domestic violence and/or sexual assault presents challenges such as: language barriers, influence of extended family, ongoing acculturation, and lack of culturally sensitive programs and professionals. This workshop will discuss a framework for cultural considerations of working with Latinas who have experienced abuse from a strength perspective foundation. It will emphasize the importance of empowerment and cultural sensitivity and describe the utilization of groups and community as a powerful tool to engage this population. The presenters will describe ways to engage Latinas using their traditions and cultural backgrounds to support others. It will include information about the “Madrinas de Genesis” project, which trains indigenous leaders to give information and support to victims of domestic violence.

Improve your interview skills. Learn how to tell when someone is editing something out of a verbal or written statement. This session will cover the basics of Discourse Analysis, a lexical and syntactical approach to analyzing statements. Using clear examples, the presenter will explain how a respondent’s shifts in words and grammar can point interviewers to “hot spots” in a statement that need to be probed. You will never listen to a conversation or interview the same way again.

This two-part session will cover intimate partner strangulation from top to bottom. It is recommended that both parts are attended together.

Part One will provide participants with a better understanding of how strangulation is different than all other types of intimate partner assault, both physiologically in terms of its lethal danger and the emotional effect it can have on the victim. The session will discuss the relationship between sexual assault and strangulation and how to better investigate both crimes together. It will look deeper into the type of perpetrator who strangles their partner. Finally, this session will discuss defensive injuries and help the audience interpret these so that a victim is not accidentally arrested.

Part Two will focus on how to prove this often missed and misunderstood crime by discussing overlooked physical injuries and identifying non-visible signs and symptoms of strangulation. The session will guide law enforcement through the process of utilizing a strangulation supplement and discuss how its use will strengthen the quality and quantity of evidence in these cases. It will walk prosecutors through the process of translating this evidence to a jury for a successful prosecution by offering tips for voir dire, discussing the use of medical experts and utilizing demonstrative evidence.

This presentation will give information about the development of the LAP (a short form of the Danger Assessment) through the leadership of the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence (MNADV), current use as a part of a coordinated community system of increasing safety for DV victims, and best practices for coordinating the LAP in various parts of the system. The presentation will also give the results of the Oklahoma LAP Evaluation, which supported its use as a way to increase safety for DV survivors.

Arousal and orgasm during sexual assault is possibly the most devastating, yet little understood, experience for survivors. It leads to even lower levels of reporting than what already exists due to prevailing myths of what it means to orgasm in an assault. Arousal during assault is often misunderstood by law enforcement, the judicial system and the lay public, creating further barriers to investigation, prosecution and conviction of sexual assault. This workshop will review the largest online discussion held on arousal in sexual abuse. The presentation will include current knowledge and areas of misunderstanding, review existing case law, address common investigation and prosecution issues, share questions raised during the online discussion, and close with a Q&A.

This presentation will explore the evolution of forensic DNA analysis and it’s current investigative and prosecutorial best practices. Various legal and investigative issues and options will be discussed, as will the science underlying the technology.

Attendees will understand the basic elements of the national, “state of the art” model for domestic violence Fatality Review Teams. Given that 45 states have teams, the majority of attendees will be able to compare their experience with the national model. Attendees will also learn about Montana’s application of those elements and how the statewide team has modified & broadened the model. Additionally, the brand new Native American team will be discussed. This team is the first of its kind in the nation.

Using clips from the compelling new documentary, “Finding Jenn’s Voice”, the presenter will share information on domestic violence (DV) homicides (homicides of women by a husband, boyfriend, intimate partner or ex-partner) as a major cause of maternal mortality (death of a woman while pregnant, in the year after the birth, or when the pregnancy ends) and, in some states and cities (for instance, Maryland), the leading cause of maternal mortality.  Case studies will be presented, as well as the characteristics of DV homicides, how to identify women who may be at high risk for these homicides, and how to make sure your state is including these cases in their state maternal mortality reviews (conducted by every state).

During this workshop, attendees will explore how gender identity is formed, examine their own beliefs and biases about gender, and be inspired to modify the ways they work with gender diverse persons.  Participants will gain insights about how gender diverse persons experience trauma, shame, resilience, coping, and more.  Using interactive exercises, insight-oriented discussion, video clips, and more, the presenter will assist participants in increasing their understandings about ways to better work with and protect transgender and gender non-conforming persons.

The mission of the Escalation Workshop is to spark a meaningful conversation about healthy and unhealthy relationships, provide tools to recognize the warning signs of relationship abuse, understand the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationship behaviors, and safely intervene to help a friend or family member. Comprised of a 40-minute film, 40-minute guided discussion and a 10-minute activation piece, this workshop encourages participants to join One Love’s larger movement to end relationship abuse.

Achieving justice in gender-based violence and human trafficking cases requires prosecutors to have a firm grasp of their legal obligations as well as their ethical responsibilities throughout each stage of the criminal justice process. These cases present unique ethical challenges related to victim privacy and confidentiality, prosecutorial discretion, recantation, and disclosure of evidence. This workshop will address the ethical considerations outlined above in the context of charging decisions, immunity, compulsion of victim testimony, and the investigative function of a prosecutor. The presenter will use hypothetical case scenarios to challenge prosecutors to evaluate their decision-making in the context of ethical rules and principles.

This workshop will take a look at how we can increase our privacy online and will provide tips and strategies to stay safe online. A member of the Facebook Team will review online tools and how to adjust privacy settings. Participants are encouraged to bring their laptops and follow along online with some of the exercises.

Discussed during this presentation will be Facebook “basics”, the latest safety and privacy controls available to prevent and reduce risks for users of the site, safety initiatives designed to combat crimes, and a detailed review of Facebook’s on-line records request system for law enforcement use.

*This workshop is restricted to law enforcement and prosecutors only.

Nearly eight out of every ten Americans are affiliated with religious, spiritual, or faith-based organizations.  As a result, leaders of religious or faith communities are often the first to be called upon for support and guidance when domestic abuse occurs. This workshop is designed to provide domestic violence advocates and faith leaders with strategies to address family violence. The presenter will help participants identify the ways that faith communities can act as a barrier or as a resource to safety and healing. Participants will discuss best practices in collaborating with faith communities and secular agencies to identify warning signs of abuse, understand tactics of power and control, enhance community responses to domestic violence, and ensure victim safety.

Prosecutors and law enforcement have unique ethical duties. In Texas, prosecutors must see that justice is done. Family violence cases present many challenges; some of those challenges are addressed by ethics rules, but many are not. This workshop will explore obligations in relation to discovery, collateral cases and consequences, victim rights, and confidentiality. The presenter will use scenarios to identify issues and discuss solutions.

The Hippocratic Oath asks of physicians, in their care of patients, to “do no harm or injustice to them”. However, the Oath may be broken when forensic opinions are rendered regarding which gunshot wound is an entrance and which is an exit based upon the size of the wound and not its physical characteristics. The medical and scientific literature has repeatedly documented that the non-forensic healthcare provider has a miserable ability to correctly interpret gunshot wounds. The “Interpretation of Fatal, Multiple and Exiting Gunshot Wounds by Trauma Specialists”, published in the Journal of Forensic Sciences, Vol. 39, No. 1, found that clinical physicians have a great deal of difficulty in correctly distinguishing between entrance and exit wounds. What are the reasons for these misinterpretations? Their opinions were based upon the size of the wound, not its physical characteristics. Physical characteristics will tell you if the wound is an entrance or exit, the range of fire and if the injuries are consistent with the history given by the victim. To avoid the misinterpretation and therefore the misdiagnosis of gunshot wounds, police, nurses, physicians and prosecutors need additional forensic training. This training is designed for nurses, physicians, police officer and prosecutors. The knowledge gained will assist attendees in evaluation, diagnosis, investigation or prosecution of gunshot wounds, including domestic and officer-involved shootings.

The case of Crawford v. Washington, as related to the Sixth Amendment Right to Confrontation, severely limited the prosecution of family violence cases without a complainant present. However, cases after Crawford (notably Davis v. Washington) have continued to make an exception for the doctrine of Forfeiture by Wrongdoing. This presentation will explain the doctrine, the trajectory of the case law, how to strategically use the doctrine and how to move forward in an evidence-based prosecution. The four segments will target prosecution of cases specifically, but will also be helpful to law enforcement and victim advocates in gathering evidence and information for a successful prosecution at a later date. Because cases often take a while to be prosecuted in Court, law enforcement, prosecutors and victim advocates should always look for ways to apply this doctrine due to the multiple and complex reasons a complainant can’t or won’t participate in a case.

This workshop provides an overview of new DNA technologies that attendees may be hearing about in the media, and how they relate to evidence processing and collection. Additionally, the presenter will cover the dreaded C-word: Contamination. When this happens (and it does happen), what does it mean? Did someone “break the rules” or use poor science? Why is simply wearing gloves no longer enough to fully prevent contamination? Attendees will be provided with ideas of ways to prevent contamination while still making patient care and comfort a priority. Finally, attendees will discover some possible sources of evidence that sometimes get overlooked by both medical and law enforcement professionals.

Treating victims of domestic violence at any stage in recovery is complex. This workshop will discuss the Genesis Trauma Approach, which is a three-layered approach that includes: the Transtheoretical Model of Change for Persons Affected by Domestic Violence, the Genesis Foundational Cognitive Model and the use of the Adaptive Information Processing Model, including the use of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). The topics that will be discussed in this workshop include: capitalizing on the inherent strengths of survivors of abuse, recognizing where a client is in the stages of change, basic education and therapeutic information that each clinical program should have and the way that EMDR fits into a clinical approach to working with victims of domestic violence.

Responding to Requests for Proposals (RFPs) is part of most agencies’ tasks. Based on 45 years of successfully competing for grant funding (with a 99% success rate), the presenter shares simple steps he uses to ensure his proposals are well received. Each RFP is unique and requires a distinctive approach. Developing the response within a systematic approach greatly enhances the chance of being awarded grant funding. Regardless of experience or writing style, everyone will find something of value to take back to the office from this presentation.

Exploring the historical view of domestic and sexual violence within the police family will enable participants to gain insight into the lack of accurate statistics, the unique characteristics of conducting investigations, nationally established standards for recruiting, training, corrective discipline, and the continued need for implementation of policy.

This workshop, presented by a defense attorney (and former prosecutor), will acquaint participants with the intimate workings of the defense in sexual assault: the preparation of a defense case, investigative techniques, pretrial motion practice and discovery, examinations before trial, jury selection, defense trial strategy, demonstrative evidence, trial exhibits, and cross examination topics and techniques. By having a broad overview of both pretrial and trial procedures, and how the defense will approach its preparation during each phase of the litigation, the expert and fact witness will be better prepared in understanding its individual role in the proceedings, and better prepared to maximize its participation in the overall litigation.

This presentation discusses the dramatic changes made by one office in response to a family violence murder. Realizing the importance of holding batterers accountable, this office began implementing a number of changes, including: training local officers on family violence response, working with a local shelter to provide adequate services for victims, starting a body worn camera program for police, using expert witnesses in family violence prosecution, establishing a batterers intervention program, using social media to raise awareness of family violence, and forming a county-wide family violence coalition.

This workshop will address recent changes in the laws impacting SANE practice in Texas, as well as FAQs often asked by SANE students: What does “informed consent” mean? Do I report teenagers who are having “consensual” sex? How do I get consent if the patient is unable to consent? and other hot topics. An open discussion will be encouraged.

Jurisdictions across the country are now testing unanalyzed sexual assault kits in their property rooms, investigating these cold cases, and grappling with notifying victims. When done ethically, notification of findings from sexual assault kits can engage and restore victims in the criminal justice system after years and sometimes decades of disengagement with inactive cases. This workshop will provide a framework for victim notification in sexual assault cold cases that is evidence-based, trauma-informed, and victim-centered. Law enforcement, prosecutors, and advocates will learn skills to frame notification with choice, validation, respect, and useful information for victims. The workshop will focus on practical application to enhance knowledge of best practices for ethical victim notification.

This workshop will provide an overview of options to obtain legal immigration status that are available to victims of domestic violence and other crimes. Primarily, the presentation will focus on the differences between the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which assists survivors of domestic violence, and the U visa program, which assists survivors of violent crime who have provided assistance to law enforcement. A brief overview of special immigrant juvenile status (for children under the age of 21), T visas (for victims of trafficking), and asylum law (for people fleeing persecution in their home countries) will also be provided. This workshop will focus on how law enforcement officers, prosecutors, social workers, victim’s advocates, therapists, and others can actively support immigrant victims through their application process.

This workshop will focus on legal protections for immigrant victims of human trafficking, and will cover the “T visa” in depth. A panel of both attorneys and law enforcement officers will provide information about their roles in assisting trafficking victims.

Videos are everywhere in our society, except in the investigation of the vast majority of domestic violence cases. Video evidence can document a crime in a way that no report, photograph, or testifying witness can. This presentation will discuss how the El Paso District Attorney’s Office and the El Paso Police Department worked together in establishing a program to utilize video cameras in every domestic violence case investigation, and ultimately in the prosecution of the case. The presenters will outline the steps taken to obtain the cameras and necessary equipment, establish policies and procedures, and ultimately use the videos in court. Attendees will be shown examples of actual case videos and how the videos can establish the elements of the crime.

Every segment of society is using social media in some way to connect with others. Most online spaces give us more control over our privacy and account security than we realize. It’s estimated that only 1-2% of people use the privacy and security settings available. This session will dive into the various ways we can increase our safety and privacy in online spaces. The presenters will also explore options for survivors to collect and preserve evidence of stalking behaviors, as well as reporting and take-down options.

This interactive presentation will focus on three specific areas: 1) extracting every legal advantage available to officers under the law; 2) utilizing an evidence-based approach to interrogate suspects in sex offense cases; and 3) employing an interrogation approach that will win defense motions to suppress. The presenters will chronicle their interrogation philosophy and game plan and apply it to a sex crime interrogation, allowing you to follow along from pre-interview strategy to the Motion to Suppress.

Discussing violence against women is often difficult, especially when working with someone who has been through a recent crisis. Our conversations can become more difficult when the professional and the client come from different cultural groups. This workshop provides concrete examples and advice for conducting interviews in ways that welcome diverse people and elicit the most accurate information possible. This workshop is relevant for all professionals in the field, whatever your context.

“Body found in water” cases are some of the most misdiagnosed deaths worldwide. We are missing more homicidal drowning cases than we are recognizing, and more than 80 percent of the adult victims are women. Women aged 45-50 years are the most common victims of intimate partner homicides staged as accidental or suicidal bathtub deaths. Unfortunately, law enforcement and death investigators are rarely trained in aquatic homicides and aquatic torture; they do not have the support of specialized investigators as in fire, plane, and vehicle deaths. This lack of training, compounded by assumptions of accidental drowning, results in far too many offenders left to commit multiple similar crimes. This presentation provides attendees with the basics of aquatic death and torture investigations with women as the victims.

This presentation will explain the numerous advances of DNA and its use in conducting Criminal Investigations, to include Human Trafficking, and will also coincide with other investigations such as Family Violence, Sexual Assault, and Crimes Against Children. The use of DNA is a growing and much needed tool in solving crimes. It is also a tool that can be utilized in an investigation prior to obtaining a suspect. This presentation will benefit not only a seasoned Police Detective, but also a Social/Civilian worker as to what to look for and where.

The Justice Legal Network is an innovative, nationally recognized and financially sustainable, civil legal services program to support victims of domestic violence and related sexual assault and their children. Most victims of domestic violence and their children need legal services but often they cannot afford representation in court. The Justice Legal Network focuses on this issue by helping new law school graduates develop their own private legal practice while providing all their pro bono hours to victims and their children. In addition, each lawyer agrees to take sliding scale cases and fixed fee cases from the Family Justice Alliance on behalf of victims.

This session will guide participants through the legal authority and methods for managing liability using existing case law of “failure to protect” suits. At the conclusion of this session, the participants will have a detailed understanding of the dangerousness, complexity and liability risk of domestic/sexual violence.

People working crimes against women and children see and hear many things they would rather not. These memories can have a disturbing effect on professionals and their families. The presenter will explain what’s behind the secondary trauma of working these cases and provide simple but effective steps we can take to help us live with these stories and images once we have seen and heard them.

Today, it is unequivocally understood that strangulation is one of the most lethal forms of domestic violence. Strangulation can produce minor injuries, brain injury, serious bodily injury, or death. The presenters will share best practices and provide an overview of the long term consequences of non-fatal strangulation and tools to detect internal injuries, neurological/clinical symptoms, and life-threatening strangulation.

Obtaining a conviction in a sexual assault or domestic violence case is usually a hard-won victory, whether by guilty plea or by trial.  Having a case reversed on appeal can result in a re-trial with stale evidence, reluctant witnesses, and a victim who is forced to re-live the case when she is finally beginning to heal. Though the appellate process is unavoidable, a prosecutor can bring a measure of finality to the criminal justice process by carefully building a strong and favorable trial court record that supports the conviction and the sentence imposed and withstands challenge on appeal. This workshop will discuss the proper creation and protection of the record during all phases of a criminal case, focusing on investigation, charging, plea agreements, trial preparation and strategy, summation, and sentencing.

This presentation will focus on domestic partner violence and the many varieties and scenarios of homicide that medical examiners encounter. It will explore scene investigation, evidence collection, and autopsy approach, findings, and limitations.

This workshop will explore the role of men’s leadership in a variety of sectors and settings: education, sports, media, politics, clergy, human services, etc.  Topics will include the ways in which male leaders can address issues of sexual assault and domestic violence by examining and challenging the belief systems that sustain them (i.e the role of sports culture, porn culture, and other forms of popular media).

This workshop will allow participants an opportunity to complete a fatality review experience. Participants will serve as members of multidisciplinary teams as they review an actual case: building a timeline, identifying red flags, highlighting agency involvement and coming up with recommendations.

This workshop will address different and unique techniques for addressing gender and dating violence prevention for women ages 13 to 93. This workshop uses evidence-based, multidisciplinary techniques to display promising practices in prevention and reduction of dating, domestic and gender violence. It is currently taught in public and private school systems, colleges, universities, communities, and in the military. The full program addresses awareness, empowerment, relationships, self-esteem, abuse, alcohol, drugs, internet and texting, as well as physical self-defense techniques. My Body…My Life… programs have received the prestigious National 2013 School Safety Award, 2013 Oklahoma Governor’s Commendation and House of Representatives Citation, and the 2013 Human Rights Award, for addressing gender and dating violence in our communities.

Helpers working with complex trauma survivors cannot prevent the experience of secondary traumatic stress. They can, however, prevent vicarious trauma and burnout by identifying patterns of trauma triangulation, understanding “self” in the helper role, and implementing healthy self-care standards. The presenter will demonstrate standards and skills in preventing trauma and evaluate trauma triangulation in all levels of helping organizations.

Research shows the vast majority of sex offenders are non-stranger rapists and serial offenders. These offenders also benefit from common misconceptions and false expectations of offenders (e.g., appearance, behavior, use of weapons, etc.) that can result in failure to identify non-stranger rapists who do not meet these expectations. To more effectively identify, investigate, and prosecute non-stranger rapists, prosecutors must overcome their own myths and misconceptions about sexual violence, as well as those believed by judges and juries. This workshop will provide a comprehensive overview of sex offenders with an emphasis on non-stranger rapists (e.g., motivations and characteristics, myths and misconceptions, serial and crossover offending, etc.) and focus on strategies for overcoming the unique challenges these offenders present.

This training will address the challenges in prosecuting stalking crimes as well as the benefits to charging stalking in cases where stalking behavior has occurred. Trainers will address the challenges these crimes present for prosecutors, including the use of technology to commit and conceal the crime, how to interpret seemingly benign behaviors as criminal, and how to show stalking behaviors in the proper context. Participants will learn more about common stalking tactics, such as the offender’s manipulation of the justice system and their attempts to cast doubt on the victim’s credibility. Practical considerations, including pre-trial release, assembling evidence, voir dire, and sentencing considerations will also be addressed.

There has been great success in prosecuting the exploiters/pimps involved in the Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Human Trafficking cases. Now, our focus is being broadened to make sure the demand side of exploitation is addressed. Apprehending the purchaser can be difficult. However, with law enforcement using low-tech and high-tech techniques, it is possible. By looking at techniques and case studies, this presentation will explore methods to building a successful case against the purchaser. Participants will have a better understanding of the demand side and how we can hold these individuals accountable.

Digital life is a part of the modern world. For most of us, we know enough to get things done. But we all hear about the ‘dark side” of the digital life. Join a cyber crime analyst as he talks in plain English about the technical problems everyone faces each time they use a credit card, turn on their phone or log into their computer. Regardless of your technical expertise (or lack thereof), you will walk away from this session understanding card skimming, data scraping, click-jacking, cyber-stalking, cross-site scripting, trojans, viruses, back-doors, and phishing/pharming. More importantly, you will know what to do to protect yourself from these criminal acts.

This session exposes participants to the reality of violence committed against women and the dangers to those who provide services to the victim/survivor. The common characteristics of victim and offender, missed crimes, the reasons these crimes are missed, and the impacts of missing these crimes will be outlined. Assessing the lethal risk to victims and the “threat” will be explored. Participants will be guided through the verbal threat, its impact on the victim and how to build a view of seriousness using pre-incident indicators to violence. A profile of domestic homicide using actual case examples and the common denominators in these fatal cases will also be discussed.

This workshop will address different and unique approaches to addressing gender and dating violence for men ages 13 to 93. This workshop uses evidence based, multidisciplinary techniques to display promising practices in prevention and reduction of gender and dating violence. It is currently taught in public and private school systems, colleges, universities, communities, and in the military. The full program addresses awareness, respect, self-esteem, abuse, alcohol, drugs, witnessing, interventions, communication, yes means yes and cyber cautions. The author, developers and instructors of the REAL Men programs have received the prestigious National 2013 School Safety Award, 2013 Oklahoma Governor’s Commendation and House of Representatives Citation, and the 2013 Human Rights Award for addressing gender and dating violence.

This workshop will present the How To’s of writing bullet-proof domestic violence and sexual assault reports and then being an effective witness in court. This is a fast-paced and interactive session; officers will be “volunteered” from the audience to do role-playing of testifying, both direct and cross examination.

“Revenge Porn” has become a well-known problem around the country in recent years, and the number of states that have passed laws criminalizing such behavior has exploded. As these laws continue to come into effect, investigators and prosecutors need to understand the varying types of behavior that are covered by the laws in their jurisdiction, how to present them to in court, and the likely constitutional challenges that will be faced. This workshop will also detail recent successful prosecutions and thoughts on how to best serve the victims of this crime, the majority of whom are female.

West Valley City Police Department and the Utah Prosecution Council have created and implemented a new protocol for sexual assault cases incorporating the principles of the neurobiology of trauma. This fast-paced and interactive presentation focuses on the how-to’s of conducting a trauma-informed victim interview, including video clips from real sexual assault interviews.

Join Courage Worldwide, an international organization that provides homes and services for victims of sex trafficking, for an evening of film excerpts with regard to the crime of Sex Trafficking – Globally and Locally.  A panel of experts will discuss this crime against women following film excerpts from Half the Sky, Fields of Mudan, In Plain Sight, and $ex 4 $ale.

Prosecution of Sexual Assault has received recent, intense attention. This workshop will provide an introduction to investigation, charging, discovery and case preparation, and trial. Sexual Assault cases include special protections for victims at each stage. Discovery must be rigorous and may include complicated evidence through DNA lab analysis and use of experts to testify at trial. Come learn how to begin to  identify these challenges.

This course emphasizes the psychology behind the crime while analyzing and interpreting true accounts and the disturbing viewpoints and motives of some of the most dangerous men behind bars, including inmates on death row. The evolution and unsettling features of violent sexual deviant pathology will be discussed, providing forethought and some credible warning signs that include elusive topics such as necrophilia, cannibalism, criminal sexual sadism, war rape, voyeurism, bestiality, and serial lust murder using imagery and combining our historical past with our present. Case examples and various crime scene photos that depict diverse features of sexual deviant pathology will be used so the participants can experience the minds of these individuals. Psychosocial histories and backgrounds of perpetrators will be presented and analyzed. Participants will achieve a more comprehensive understanding of the overall mindset and outlook, fantasy facilitators, behaviors and etiology of violent sex offenders with the goal of identifying warning signs, interviewing suspects, increasing effectiveness in search warrants and using greater case preparation from inception to closure.

Today, technology is all around us. While technology itself isn’t the problem, it can be used by stalkers to track, monitor, and gain information about victims. As technology advances, so will stalkers’ abilities to utilize it in their crimes. Those who work with victims of stalking should be familiar with the various ways that technology can be used to stalk. In this interactive training, participants will have an opportunity to learn about the common ways in which offenders misuse technologies, such as social media, smartphones, computers, cameras, and location-based services. This workshop will give law enforcement and victim service providers the tools they need to better work stalking cases, steps a victims can take to more safely use technology, and considerations for documentation and evidence collection will also be discussed.

What is the best way to understand and address statutory rape? The relationships are against the law and often look exploitative to outsiders. Does it matter that sometimes both individuals talk about being “in love?” This problem is even more complicated when it involves participants who claim their relationships are acceptable in their cultures. This workshop will involve a wide-ranging discussion of relevant issues, including participant perspectives and experiences.

Some of the most common campus dangers are almost invisible: the verbal and psychological abuse, stalking, and sexual coercion that comprise a form of abuse called Coercive Control. Coercive Control describes a strategy of domination of an intimate partner through some combination of isolation, manipulation, degradation, micromanagement, sexual coercion, and sometimes physical violence. Most commonly, it’s men who control their women partners in this way; but people of all genders and orientations can be victims or victimizers. With college students, even this definition becomes problematic because they don’t often think of themselves as “partners” but rather as occupying an ill-defined space between “being friends” (a loose term when one has thousands of Facebook friends!), “hooking up,” and those old fashioned concepts of “dating” or “going out.” Students, parents, faculty, and administrators may easily miss signs of coercive control. Most often, people who are being victimized have no name for what is happening to them, and therefore have trouble connecting the dots between disparate controlling and demeaning acts. In this workshop, participants will learn how to recognize and challenge this all too common form of abuse on campus.

Rape and sexual assault cases are some of the most difficult to prosecute and cold cases present even greater challenges due to the passage of time. Technological and strategic innovations, along with well-established investigative and prosecutorial best practices, allow prosecutors to achieve justice in these cases. This workshop will focus on the unique challenges of investigating and trying cold case rapes involving identified and unidentified offenders and provide strategies to overcome those challenges. The presenter will discuss best practices in sexual assault prosecutions as well as promising practices in response to the time-intensified issues in older cases, such as renewed investigations of dormant cases, victim notification, identification of evidence, pretrial proceedings, and trial strategy.

Burnout affects millions of Americans each year and has been called “the disease of our civilization.” The unhappiness and detachment burnout causes can threaten your job, your relationships, and your health. But there’s good news—burnout can be healed. Participants will learn the definition of burnout and the symptoms thereof. More importantly, attendees will be laughing and learning how to apply the presenter’s F.I.N.G.E.R. philosophy to help themselves and their co-workers avoid and/or recover from burnout.

Community corrections officers can play a crucial role in addressing and intervening in stalking behaviors among probationers and parolees. This training will enhance participants’ understanding of stalking and their ability to supervise offenders and respond to stalking victims. Topics addressed will include screening offenders to identify stalking, suggested conditions of release, and value of victim contact. Participants are encouraged to download a copy of “Guide for Responding to Stalking,” a resource for probation and parole officers developed by the Stalking Resource Center and APPA.

This presentation will review the history of suspect interview/interrogation techniques and discuss the impact and efficacy of numerous techniques, including substantial research that will assist fact-finders in determining some short falls in current methods. This presentation will challenge long-held beliefs in what works and what doesn’t. Recommendations, including the newly developed suspect forensic interview technique, will be presented.

Attendees will go behind the scenes of the investigation chronicled in the presenter’s best-selling true crime book, Off The Street, to learn how Anthony Smith, one of the city’s most violent Human Traffickers, was taken down. In addition to detailing the actual investigation, the presenter will discuss the reality of the pimp/prostituted person culture and its effect on mainstream culture.

This workshop will explore the dangers faced by women in Indian Country that contribute to victimization through abductions, exploitation and maltreatment. Participants will discuss various contributing factors such as runaways, technology facilitated crimes, trafficking and the exploitation of Native Americans.

Would you ever prosecute a case with a Spanish-speaking victim without a translator? Of course not! Why? Because the jury doesn’t always speak that language. The same reasoning applies when presenting and prosecuting cases involving intimate partner violence, sexual assault, strangulation and the impact of trauma. This two-part series will provide guidance to all disciplines, including counselors, law enforcement, medical professionals and prosecutors, about the strategic use of experts. Turning behavior that a jury might use to question a victim’s credibility into evidence of the crime actually being committed is key. Educating the jury to start seeing these crimes through the correct filter is necessary to turn “weaknesses” into strengths. This workshop will give all relevant players tips on when to use an expert, who to use (and how to find them in your own community) and how to use them to present a case to a jury.

Testifying in court is usually not an endeavor that law enforcement officers look forward to. This workshop, presented by a defense attorney (and former prosecutor), will deal with issues and topics that arise during trial such as interrogation techniques, Miranda, and one-party consent telephone calls. What to say, and how to say it, during direct and cross-examination will also be discussed

This workshop, presented by a defense attorney (and former prosecutor), is designed for the medical professional and addresses each aspect of the forensic medical examination and how each aspect can be “twisted” in the courtroom by a skilled attorney. The goal of the program is to “re-educate” the medical professional to understand and consider how what they do in the clinic/hospital will play out in the courtroom.

“Street prostitute”, “drug-addict” and “criminal history” are not words that prosecutors like to have associated with victims in their cases. But these terms don’t mean that a victim is not worth fighting for or that her case un-winnable. This workshop will focus on the practical aspects of trying human trafficking cases with adult female victims. Participants will learn to humanize survivors in voir dire, build corroborative evidence during and after the investigation, structure trial to emphasize case strengths, and work with witnesses who are alternately fearful, uncooperative, hostile and desperate for change. This workshop will challenge participants to change the culture from one that identifies with and honors perpetrators to one that provides safety, security and justice for survivors of trafficking.

The objective of this workshop is to understand the parallels of every victim’s experience, even when the details of the assaults are completely different. The presenters will focus on understanding tools that can help advocates and agencies assist victims in finding their voices, as well as the powerful impact that programs using best practices treating victims can have in communities. The international span of the fight against sexual violence is addressed with an emphasis on how every voice can resonate powerfully.

Offenders are misusing an array of technologies and online spaces in domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking cases. In order to help survivors stay safe and hold offenders accountable, we need to understand what they are doing. Helpful for criminal justice professionals as well as service providers, this session will discuss how offenders misuse technology, how survivors can document the abuse, and how law enforcement can collect evidence and pursue cases.

“911, what’s your emergency?” “My husband choked me. I can’t breathe. Help me.” This workshop will facilitate attendee investigation of a non-fatal strangulation case. Attendees will work collaboratively with their team to gather evidence and build a case. In the mock scenario, participants will have the opportunity to interview the witness and investigate the scene. This exercise challenges teams to find and document hard-to-detect evidence in strangulation cases, practice interviewing trauma victims and work as a team. It will conclude with a summary of valuable tips for improving your investigation for felony prosecution, as well as the valuable resources available from the Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention. This session will be limited to 50 attendees in order to provide a hands-on, interactive experience.

Trauma dramatically affects survivors of violent crimes and the professionals on the front lines working with and supporting those survivors. PTSD results not only from experiencing major traumatic events, but also from the gradual accumulation of such painful life experiences. Neurobiology provides the clearest window into the nature of PTSD and its impact. Research shows that trauma is one of the most treatable of all emotional/psychological challenges. This presentation will cover some basics of the neurobiology of trauma and its treatment, specifically eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), one of the most researched and effective treatments available. Focus will be given to the integration of EMDR into the clinical work with victims of domestic violence at Genesis Women’s Shelter & Support. The secondary trauma that service providers and first responders commonly experience will also be addressed.

The U.S. Department of Justice (2013) released findings demonstrating that 1 in 5 women will be sexually assaulted before she graduates college. Who is vulnerable to campus sexual assault and why? Who perpetrates sexual misconduct on campus and how do we identify these perpetrators? What is consent and how is incapacitation leveraged by offenders to continue perpetrating on campus without detection? This workshop will focus on victimology and predation on campus, the “Sexual Assault Sequence”, the grooming behavior of campus sexual predators, and the role of campus rape culture in insulating offenders and allowing them to continue operating in a target-rich environment. It will offer practitioners—including campus and local law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and campus administrators—guidance on the do’s and don’ts of conducting effective criminal and civil rights (Title IX) investigations.

Sexual offenders present difficult and complicated issues in treatment and management. Denial, victim blaming, and blatant deception are inherent in the interactions with sexual offenders. Most importantly, sexual offenders constantly re-enact the victim-offender relationship in many contexts in their life. Traditional approaches with sexual offenders are not only ineffective, but can replicate the offense dynamics and increase risk to the community.  This workshop will help participants develop an understanding of sexual offense dynamics and an acceptance of the worldview of the offender. An exploration of the distortions, fantasies, and interpersonal manipulations will be presented in a practical, straight forward, and enlightening manner.

Do you know how easy it is for some abusers to track their victim’s every move, to monitor everything they do on a computer, in their cars, or online? Perpetrators of stalking and domestic violence are often ahead of the curve on the use of technology and are using it to facilitate abuse and harm against survivors. Understanding how technology is misused is crucial to both supporting victims and holding offenders accountable. This training will illustrate the safety risks of various technologies.

This workshop will highlight the unique aspects of violence against women in Indian country.  It will address tribal implementation of the Violence Against Women Act and provide a greater understanding of prosecution and jurisdiction issues, as well the challenges faced by law enforcement, prosecutors, and victim advocates.

Is the God of the Hebrew and the Christian Scriptures a violent deity? Many believers (and non-believers) think that the God whom Christians worship endorses violence, supports the use of violence to solve human problems, and is the cause of much violence experienced in the world. This workshop will examine this thinking and investigate whether this view of God is the best way to read the Scriptures.

Sexual assault investigations and prosecutions involving voluntary intoxicated victims present significant challenges. Many predators know of these challenges and prey upon voluntarily intoxicated victims. All too often, investigators and prosecutors focus on explaining away the victim’s choices and behaviors rather than focusing on the predator’s use of intoxication as a tool. Consequently, these cases are often not properly investigated, charged or are lost at trial. This workshop will provide participants with a strong foundation in the toxicology of alcohol and how to investigate to identify the outward manifestations of the impact of alcohol, as well as its impact on decision-making, memory and perception. The presenter will also offer strategies for re-framing the investigation and prosecution to ensure they are conducted in an offender focused way. We will go beyond the didactic into recreating the experience with vignettes and real-world videos.

Stresses caused by family separation, changing family roles, effects of deployment, combat, PTSD, TBI, substance abuse, and differences in military and civilian culture all affect military families. Sometimes, these lead to aggression, violence, and criminal behavior both within and outside military families. This workshop will provide perspectives on why violence happens when military veterans come home. Mr. Jackson, veteran of the U.S. Air Force will provide a candid discussion of his deployments, their cumulative effect on him and his family, and his continued challenges coping with the lingering effects of service. Ms. Jackson, his wife and a prosecutor, will discuss her experiences as a spouse, mother, and prosecutor of violence in military families to distinguish traditional family violence “power and control” models from typical “post deployment” behaviors. Dr. Meyer will discuss our understanding of violence in military families from what we know from research and from what he has learned in his clinical practice with veterans and their families at the McGuire VAMC in Richmond, VA.

Nationally, prosecutors report that witness intimidation plays a role in 75% to 100% of violent crimes committed in gang-controlled neighborhoods and is nearly universal in all cases of domestic violence and other areas of abuse. The confrontation clause of the sixth amendment to the Constitution guarantees that in all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall have the right to be confronted by the witness. That right, which may benefit the offender, very often penalizes the victim. This workshop will discuss the history of witness intimidation and the origins of confrontation and will guide the participants through the Crawford vs. Washington case and how it has impacted prosecuting domestic violence incidents without the victim. Forfeiture by Wrongdoing will be discussed as the latest and best alternative to proving witness intimidation and dealing with the absent victim in court. A practical domestic violence case simulation will be conducted with the participants.

Every year, more than 20,000 youth nationwide age out of the foster care system. For these youth, turning 18 means an abrupt transition and leaves them without the financial, educational, and social support systems all youth need to flourish. They experience poor outcomes at a much higher rate than the general population, including increased rates of homelessness and involvement with the criminal justice system, lack of employment opportunities, and increased risks for human trafficking. This workshop will discuss the risks and realities of youth aging out of care and invite participants to discuss how they can reduce these vulnerabilities in their own communities.

Behind Closed Doors is a personal experience of living as a domestic violence victim as a well-known master level social worker, soccer mom, and military spouse. It describes the cycle of violence, focusing on signs before the marriage to the progression of violence from pre-battering to battering stage. This presentation also outlines the stages of change and the thinking process of the victim, outlining barriers to leaving vs. reasons for staying. This moving and personal presentation discusses the military family component, as well as a faith-based or religious component. Finally, the presentation explains how the survivor used her experience to build a program within a police department to bring awareness, education and connection to resources to the department as well as to the military and to the civilian community.

From 2010 to late 2013, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the FBI in El Paso, Texas investigated Charles Marquez, the Operator of a long running, well-established escort service known to its customers as the “222 Girls.” Marquez recruited both juveniles and adult women from the United States and Mexico for forced prostitution in Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado using fraudulent employment ads, then used coercion and threats of physical harm, immigration enforcement, and harming victims’ families to maintain their compliance. The investigation resulted in the identification and recovery of dozens of victims, and led to the arrest and conviction of Marquez by jury trial in 2013. Marquez received multiple life sentences as a result of his conviction. This case study will not only share best practices and investigative techniques, but will focus on Marquez’ use of force, fraud, and coercion for victim compliance, the use of “johns” as witnesses, and working through challenges with victims. Read More

On New Year’s Day, Dana Clair Edwards’ parents found her lying dead on the floor of her guest bathroom. The autopsy revealed blunt force trauma and ligature strangulation. An investigation fraught with missteps led back to her ex-boyfriend, a mild mannered, middle-aged man from San Antonio’s Alamo Heights community. With no history of domestic violence, lost evidence and no eyewitnesses, the prosecution faced a daunting challenge. Celebrity attorney Dick DeGuerin led the defense. Participants will explore the use of cell phone data and the legal issues attending it, ways to mitigate or even turn investigatory weaknesses into strengths, and the importance of comprehensive case strategy in circumstantial murder cases.

She was going on a date with a nice man. What she didn’t know was that Allen Nash is a pimp and had other plans for her. When he kidnapped her, he planned to convince her, through both force and persuasion, to join his prostitution business. Learn how to identify trafficking issues within cases that present as dating violence, and how to understand the dynamics involved in sex trafficking cases. The presenter will identify missing evidence that could have been found if the sex trafficking aspect was more immediately recognized.

For approximately seven months, OCPD Officer Daniel Holtzclaw systematically targeted and sexually assaulted women living in one of the high-crime/drug areas of Oklahoma City.  He used his position of power and authority to force compliance to his sexual assaults and as intimidation to keep his victims from reporting his crimes.  Through tireless hours of investigation, extensive trial preparation, and the coordinated efforts of detectives, victim support advocates, support staff, and prosecutors, justice was attained for Holtzclaw’s multiple victims. Attendees will learn how the detectives and prosecutors were able to assert the credibility of these victims’ experiences—many of whom struggle with drug addiction and required significant and repetitive reassurances that the system valued them and cared about what had happened—while responding to racially-based assertions of misconduct, and ultimately secured a 260+ year sentence after a highly publicized, aggressively defended six-week jury trial.

This case study involves the murder of a young wife and mother at the hands of her abusive husband. It presented as a missing person reported by local advocates after the victim, who was in a shelter after a strangulation incident, disappeared. Her husband confessed after her dismembered body was found in a storage unit. Takeaways include working with confidentiality issues, investigative strategies when you believe your victim is dead, crime scene and forensic lessons learned, social media and other electronic evidence, interviewing a probable psychopath, and dealing with the aftermath of horrific violence.

This case study will examine the investigation of the brutal 2012 Killeen, Texas murder of Danielle Acosta-Guerrero. Danielle suffered a horrific stabbing death in front of her six-year-old son at the hands of David Michael Vega, her ex-boyfriend. Vega also strangled the boy repeatedly until he thought he was dead. When police arrived on the scene, they found the child clutching his mother’s body covered in her blood. This presentation will address the forensic nurse examination of the only eye witness to this devastating crime, the 911 call, investigation and lessons learned from a homicide detective and forensic nurse examiner.

Learn how one student’s complaint to campus police evolved into a federal cyberstalking case identifying several additional unreported victims. This case study highlights collaboration between local and federal law enforcement, investigative techniques, digital evidence, the challenges in identifying unreported victims, and the importance of education and awareness among the student population.

This case study is based upon an international human trafficking case that took place in a suburban town outside of New York City. From a remote location, the defendant trolled internet au pair websites where he would lure young women to his home. Posing as a woman who represented an elderly man, he promised the women lucrative pay and experience. Once they arrived, he soon turned them into his personal sex slaves. Participants will learn about the investigative techniques that brought the case to successful prosecution, specifically: interview techniques used to earn the victims’ trust and cooperation, use of computer forensics to develop evidence and identify victims internationally, methods for cooperation between local, state and federal law enforcement, and the use of partnerships with local advocacy services.

This lab will introduce participants to EXIF data that can be found embedded within pictures, as well as provide a software tool and hands on application of it to view EXIF data. Learn what EXIF data is, what it contains, how to view it, how that data could enhance your investigation, and methods to document this information for the court, judge, jury in an easily understood method.

Ever wonder if someone has uploaded or downloaded information/programs/spyware to or from your computer via a flash drive? Have they connected a “keylogger” to one of your USB ports? When you are executing a search warrant wouldn’t you like to know if the suspect has other storage devices or digital cameras you have not found; connected their phone to the computer to download pictures? This session will give participants a software tool and hands on application of it so you will be able to find out quickly while still on scene.

This lab will provide hands-on training with Field Search, a widely used non-technical tool for conducting triage, consent searches, and compliance monitoring of computers in the field.  Each participant will receive a free, fully functional copy of Field Search v 5.  Version 5 is the latest significant upgrade to Field Search released on 1/11/16.