2015 Program

In a church of 100 women, around 25 will have experienced domestic violence. This session will address common mistakes church leaders make in responding to abuse and provide practical tips for preventing and confronting it, as well as responding in a validating, safe, and supportive way.

Offenders thrive in a rape-prone, rape/violence myth-accepting culture. This presentation will explore many societal myths and bias that enable the offender to operate successfully among us without suspicion and detection. We 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. We 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.

In recent years, those who work with survivors of violence have become increasingly aware of the connection between trauma and violence. However, survivors who turn to the legal system for protection encounter significant barriers. This is in large part because the processes in which a survivor must engage to achieve can trigger the effects of trauma, making it difficult for a survivor to fully participate in her case. In addition, the opposing party often uses the survivor’s mental health to damage her credibility and/or raising doubt about her motives, abilities and actions. In this interactive workshop participants will examine how they can better understand the complex needs of survivors who have experienced trauma. The presenter will explore the signs of trauma, what they mean and how survivor’s in the legal system can be re-victimized by the process. Participants will also consider strategies for more effective practice.

Domestic violence most often happens behind closed doors and commonly involves one person’s word against another. More often than not, the first and only source of evidence is the victim. Because of the lack of other evidence, jurors often have concerns about what they view as a “he said/she said” situation. The odds are that in some of those cases they are right to be concerned, as no one wants to see an innocent person convicted of a crime they did not commit. This workshop will discuss how to keep an open mind to all the evidence presented in the case, including evidence from the defense. Lastly, the presenter will discuss what to do when you are presented with evidence that leads you to believe that prosecution of the case may be the wrong course of action.

This workshop will provides an overview of general terms used in trans* communities, and a broad understanding of trans* experience specifically focusing on how that experience may intersect with legal and administrative systems. Lastly, the presenters will discuss those actions that will help promote positive interactions with trans* individuals, especially where intimate partner violence may be a factor.

The child custody system is not designed or prepared to respond safely to domestic violence cases. This workshop examines the surprises an abused woman meets when she enters the family law arena, and how we can prepare her ahead of time. The presenter will analyze the typical assumptions applied by judges, evaluators, mediators, and attorneys, and the current structure of court processes for assessing domestic violence allegations and their relevance for children. Then he will discuss strategies for helping an abused woman get the best possible outcome for her children. Finally, strategies for bringing about systemic reform in the family law response to domestic violence will be presented.

The majority of sexual assault victims know their assailants. Despite this fact, the public still expects rapists to be weapon wielding strangers who attack their victims in dark alleys. Research clearly demonstrates the strong correlation of domestic violence and sexual abuse, which is often ignored or minimized by the victim and criminal justice system. A current or former relationship between the victim and the defendant can lead to additional complexities that often make the arrest, prosecution, and conviction of an intimate-partner rapist even more difficult. Although the marital exemption is no longer codified, some professionals have continued to ignore, dismiss, or blame victims of intimate-partner sexual assault. This presentation will explore the myths and provide cutting-edge methods for identification and proper response to marital rape.

Prosecutorial effectiveness is commonly measured by conviction rates, largely because they are readily available. But, are conviction rates an accurate measure of success? For difficult cases, like sexual assaults, conviction rates do not capture the quality of the prosecution strategies or the relative difficulty of the cases taken forward. This presentation will discuss promising sexual assault prosecution strategies as well as measuring effectiveness in a way that does not rely solely upon conviction rates. The presenters will discuss other, more meaningful performance measures, and will describe how they can be used to more accurately measure and sustain effective prosecution practices. At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be better able to: identify promising sexual assault prosecution strategies; develop additional strategies to measure prosecutorial effectiveness; overcome challenges related to success based on conviction rates alone.

Understanding the effects of trauma on a person’s ability to experience and describe events can revolutionize the response by all criminal justice professionals – from first responders through prosecution. This presentation helps criminal justice professionals understand basic scientific concepts about how trauma affects the brain so that victims of traumatic crimes can be understood and cases will be handled more effectively.

Men who abuse women do not change through magical transformation. The process of change involves concrete steps, and requires hard, committed work by the abuser over a period of years. In this workshop, the presenter breaks down the elements of change for this offender population, including overcoming denial, confronting his behaviors and attitudes, and developing positive behaviors. The workshop explains how professionals and concerned community members can best contribute to guiding the man through this extensive process and assess his level of significant progress.

Craigslist continues to be a target-enriched environment for exploitation, prostitution, and human trafficking investigations. This lecture will cover some critical changes that Craigslist has made in regard to communication on Craigslist. Script ideas to personify either a juvenile, parent, or Good Samaritan for trafficking investigations will be discussed. Attendees will learn different ways law enforcement can request information from Craigslist to assist in their investigations. Examples using actual cases will be used throughout the presentation.

Latina women who have experienced domestic abuse and/or sexual assault experience barriers and challenges to seeking help and reporting including language, influence of extended family, and ongoing acculturation. This workshop will discuss a framework and cultural considerations when working with Latina victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Since Latinas have an ability to network and provide support to one another, this presentation will include a discussion of using groups as an appropriate setting to utilize the strengths of the Latino culture and empower women to overcome trauma. The presenters will describe ways to engage Latinas to use 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 abuse.

In 2012, the Dallas Police Department’s Domestic Violence Unit was faced with many challenges regarding its response to domestic violence. It was suffering from low morale and a shortage of detectives to handle the high caseloads that exceeded more than 1,000 offenses monthly. In response to these issues, the department increased the staffing, implemented a safety tracking system for victims and started new programs designed to provide victims with greater support. This workshop will discuss the department’s new approach to domestic violence victims, including its use of Lethality Assessment for intimate partner violence and home visits for High Risk Victims. The discussion will cover all the changes and the results that have made DPD a leader in the way it handles domestic violence.

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 if you attend this session.

In this workshop, the presenters will discuss various judicial responses to domestic violence initiated in Dallas. Judge Canas is in the process of developing a comprehensive gun surrender protocol for family violence offenders in Dallas County, and Judge Magnis has developed Texas’ first court supervised community supervision program for high-risk offenders placed on probation for intimate partner violence. Dr. Johansson-Love will also discuss the specialized Forensic Domestic Violence assessment protocol developed to identify the high lethality and high criminogenic risk offenders for Judge Magnis’ Felony Domestic Violence Court Program.

This lecture will present the Domestic Violence High Risk Team Model (DVHRTM), which is a multidisciplinary approach that focuses equally on victim safety and offender accountability. At the core of this approach is the belief that domestic violence homicide is both predictable and preventable. In this workshop, the presenters will deconstruct the homicide of Dorothy Giunta-Cotter. Using this tragedy as a framework, they will show how this model is effective in addressing some of the current gaps in the response to domestic violence crimes and interrupting cycles of escalating violence. The inspiring results of the Greater Newburyport Domestic Violence High Risk Team will be highlighted.

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.

This workshop will discuss the Cuyahoga County’s DNA Cold Case Task Force which pairs sex crimes unit detectives with investigators from the prosecutor’s office to locate victims and witnesses, as well as evidence, in old sexual assault cases. These law enforcement partners then collaborate with a team of specially focused sexual assault kit prosecutors to prepare cases for Grand Jury presentation and prosecution. By the fall of 2014, more than 200 individuals had been indicted for rapes committed as far back as 1993. The conviction rate on these cases exceeds 90 percent. This workshop will share ideas on how to create and operate such a task force in your jurisdiction.

Prosecutors are tasked with the “twofold aim of which is that guilt shall not escape or innocence suffer…it is as much his duty to refrain from improper methods calculated to produce a wrongful conviction…” Berger v. U.S. (1935). Ensuring victim privacy and achieving justice in domestic violence cases requires prosecutors to have a firm grasp of their legal obligations as well as their ethical responsibilities. In addition to complex confidentiality issues, domestic violence cases present unique ethical challenges related to prosecutorial discretion, recantation, and disclosure of evidence. This presentation will address the ethical considerations outlined above as well as charging decisions, immunity, compelling victim testimony, Crawford, and the investigative function of a prosecutor. The presenters will use hypothetical case scenarios to challenge attendees to evaluate their decision-making.

Prosecutors are tasked with the “twofold aim of which is that guilt shall not escape or innocence suffer … it is as much his duty to refrain from improper methods calculated to produce a wrongful conviction …” Berger v. U.S. (1935). Ensuring victim privacy and achieving justice in sexual violence cases requires prosecutors to have a firm grasp of their legal obligations as well as their ethical responsibilities. In addition to complex victim privacy issues, sexual violence cases present unique ethical challenges related to prosecutorial discretion, recantation, and disclosure of evidence. This presentation will address the ethical considerations outlined above as well as charging decisions, immunity, the investigative function of a prosecutor, and trial publicity. The presenters will use hypothetical case scenarios to challenge prosecutors to evaluate their decision-making.

Many techniques in collecting evidence have been taught over the years to sexual assault nurse examiners. There have been changes in the law, such as Texas SB1191 which states that any emergency department with 24 hour capability will provide sexual assault examinations to adult victims of this crime in Texas and national standards recommended by the department of justice. There are national protocols, hospital policies, procedures and the Board of Nurse Examiners mandates continuing education in forensics for all registered nurses. This workshop will focus on the differences in sexual assault evidence kits, collection techniques and forensic photography utilizing sexual assault and domestic violence case studies to better arm our medical staff and other professionals with valuable education in the field of Forensic Emergency Medicine.

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.

Across the world and in our own neighborhoods and places of worship, women are routinely silenced by violence, inequity, and exploitation. Churches should, instead, play an active and crucial role in honoring and empowering these women. This session will explore how people of faith can listen to and amplify those voices in a more empowering way.

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. It includes: The Transtheoretical Model of Change for Persons Affected by Domestic Violence, The Genesis Foundational Cognitive 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 will 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 in a clinical approach to working with victims of domestic violence.

Sexual predators groom both the victim and the environment. There is a pattern to grooming which is found across many types of sex crimes. In this workshop, Dr. Tanner clarifies the structure and process of grooming and demonstrates how it is manifested in many types of offenses. Whether you work assault against adults or children, trafficking, position of trust or acquaintance cases, you will find this session helps you understand how the victim and the environment were groomed. This presentation will be beneficial for forensic interviewers, investigators, prosecutors, caseworkers, treatment agents and community supervision officers.

Research shows the vast majority of sex offenders are non-stranger rapists and serial offenders. They rely on premeditated tactics and nontraditional weapons and are adept at creating, identifying, and manipulating perceived vulnerabilities in their victims. This presentation will provide a comprehensive overview of sex offenders with an emphasis on non-stranger rapists and focus on strategies for overcoming the unique challenges these offenders present on campus. At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be better able to: identify predatory behavior and other characteristics of sex offenders on campus; develop strategies to educate judges and juries as well as faculty, staff, and students about offenders and thereby overcome societal myths and misconceptions; focus on the offender and their predatory behavior from investigation through sentencing; collaborate with allied professionals to identify, investigate, and prosecute non-stranger sexual assaults on campus.

Investigators and prosecutors face many challenges when it comes to preserving digital evidence for presentation in court. This lecture covers how the technologies work behind web pages, social networking sites, and chat apps. It also covers the skills that investigators need to capture and replicate the digital information they find. Attendees will learn about digital officer safety, and the important role it plays in investigations. The lecture also covers the underlying case law that supports digital evidence collection. The past two years have seen major changes in how evidence should be legally seized from the cloud, from mobile devices, and from Internet-based communications. This lecture provides attendees with examples of the legally appropriate steps they should take to seize potential evidence.

Unfortunately, children are often witnesses to violent crime, especially domestic violence. Their testimony may have a significant impact on the subsequent investigation and prosecution of the crime. When a child witnesses a violent crime it is often followed by family chaos, which creates added stress for the child and can often times compromise the integrity of the child’s statement. It is critical that child witnesses be interviewed immediately after such an event by a trained professional. This workshop will discuss how these interviews should be conducted, who should do the interview and where it should be conducted. Lastly, the presenters will discuss how to access local children’s advocacy centers to assist in coordinating interviews and accessing help for both the child and the family.

Battered mothers face numerous binds and challenges in attempting to parent their children and maintain a close relationship to them. This workshop will explain to participants how to: 1) Understand the dangers an abused woman faces when she resists the batterer’s control over her parenting; 2) Analyze the family dynamics that battering engenders, including the ways in which abusers turn children against their mothers; 3) Understand why pressuring a battered woman to leave the abuser backfires against her children; 4) Develop supportive services that help the mother reestablish her maternal authority; 5) Craft interventions that take trauma into account, both for the mother and for the children; 6) Focus on long-term success.

The presenter watched as her father abused her mother for years. As she was drawn into his abuse of her mother she was also sexually abused by her father and brothers. Olga, now an attorney, advocate and author, underwent a journey to understand the impact the violence she witnessed and endured – from the child abuse to rapes she suffered as an adolescent and young adult – had on her life. In this presentation she reveals what she has learned so far and although tragic, her story of survival is inspiring and hopeful. She shows how each person can and does make a difference in the lives of others and the affects of trauma.

This workshop is an inspirational and dramatic look at the crucial “imperfect” skills that leaders need to know in order to succeed in today’s high-pressured environment. In this challenging presentation, participants will uncover the following secrets: 1) how making a “good” mistake can propel you to greater opportunities. 2) realizing that being an imperfect leader is the secret to building your team, and 3) why a seemingly “weak” character trait may be your ticket to success.

This workshop will share the results of a joint project by the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) and the Dallas Police Department (DPD). Videotaped interrogations of homicide suspects conducted by Dallas homicide detectives were analyzed, along with videotaped interviews of the detectives and now-incarcerated suspects. Those interviews explored the philosophy and methodology of the detectives as well as the opinions of the suspects. This presentation will share what was learned. It focuses on principles of interpersonal dynamics, rapport building, methods by which a confession is elicited, and interrogation philosophy. Key segments of video from the interrogation will be presented combined with videotaped perspective on these aspects of the interrogation from the investigator and the now-incarcerated suspect, providing a 360-degree look at critical steps and principles associated with a criminal interrogation.

This workshop will cover the medical, investigative and prosecutorial benefits of using a SANE nurse. It will also discuss how a multi-disciplinary team approach that fully incorporates the participation of medical, prosecutorial, investigative and therapeutic personnel, is the most beneficial for the physical and mental well-being of the victim as well as the prosecution of sexual assault cases.

This workshop is an invigorating journey that revisits the reasons we are drawn to the world of nonprofit leadership: Passion and Mission. Yet, these two motivations often become obscured by daily minutiae, and can even create competing priorities. In this challenging presentation, participants will uncover practical tools to: 1) stay focused on mission when one’s passion seems to be in conflict, 2) know when to draw a line in the sand…and when not to, and 3) be laser focused, and ways to avoid common blind spots.

Thousands of sexual assault victims submit to an invasive 4-6 hour rape kit examination, only to have that evidence sit on a shelf indefinitely. These hundreds of thousands of untested rape kits in police and crime lab storage facilities are known as the rape kit backlog. While some jurisdictions have begun to clear their backlogs, many others are struggling to address the issues. This workshop, presented by a multidisciplinary team, will lead a panel discussion on how their cities tackled the rape kit backlog and will explore specific cases. Law enforcement officials and rape kit backlog experts will discuss how they approached the issue, action steps taken, and practical lessons learned.

This session will guide the participants through the legal authority and methods to 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. Based on his 44 years experience working in criminal justice, Dr. Tanner explains what’s behind the secondary trauma of working these cases and provides simple but effective steps we can take to help us live with these stories and images once we have seen and heard them. You owe it to yourself and your family to attend this session.

In this workshop the presenters will explain how exposure of domestic violence to children will have behavioral, cognitive, emotional, physical, and social implications. The presentation will also cover how children cope with domestic violence in the home and the negative coping strategies they develop. The audience will be provided with useful information on how service providers can teach children, who are still currently in domestic violence homes or away from these homes, how to safety plan and also how to assist in their process of healing. The presenters will also provide the audience with a brief case example of collaborating with Child Protective Services as well as the importance of cultural competency.

In 1992, the Campus Sexual Assault Victims’ Bill of Rights, included within the Jeanne Clery Act, fundamentally changed how institutions of higher education are required to respond to victims of sexual assault. Over 20 years later, amendments within the 2013 Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act strengthened the rights afforded to campus victims of sexual violence, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. This workshop will review what the final regulations of the VAWA Amendments to Clery mean for campuses and those that work with them, as well as explore how collaboration can help institutions move beyond basic compliance to embrace the spirit of the law.

Many times when a non-profit agency that deals with crime victims is developed, the organization offers board seats to those most familiar with the operation – district attorneys, members of law enforcement and/or CPS, local pediatricians or medical personnel, and possibly a concerned citizen or two. After a couple years the organization’s CEO/ED realizes that the organization is just surviving month to month and the board of directors is more interested in the day-to-day operations than the long-term vision. This workshop is designed to help non-profit leadership put a plan in place to develop a more dynamic board of directors. The workshop will examine the 10 best practices of nonprofit boards in an interactive presentation and help non-profit staff leadership develop ideas to transform their boards.

This workshop will introduce the My Body…My Life program, which presents different and unique approaches to addressing gender and dating violence for women ages 13 to 93. This program uses evidence based, multi-disciplinary techniques to display promising practices in prevention of gender and dating violence. This program is currently taught in public and private school systems, colleges, communities, and in the military. The programs are currently taught in three different states and address both men and women on issues surrounding dating, domestic and gender violence. My Body..My Life has received the prestigious National 2013 School Safety Award, 2013 Oklahoma Governor’s Commendation, 2013 Oklahoma House of Representatives Citation and the 2013 Human Rights Award, for addressing gender and dating violence for men and women.

Maintaining privacy online is a complex process. Online spaces are built so that we can share information and connect with others. Abusers and perpetrators misuse these spaces to gather information about victims, or to impersonate, harass, and stalk victims. Being online safely requires looking at what we do with our personal information both offline and online. This workshop will take a look at how we can increase our privacy online and will provide tips and strategies to share with victims. A member of Facebook’s Site Safety & Tools Team will review online tools for victims, how to adjust privacy settings, and provide guidance regarding collecting evidence from Facebook. The presenters will also discuss email tracing and other strategies for offender accountability. Participants are encouraged to bring their laptops and follow along online with some of the exercises.

Research shows the vast majority of sex offenders are non-stranger rapists and serial offenders. They are adept at creating, identifying, and manipulating perceived vulnerabilities in their victims and ultimately rendering them more vulnerable to attack through the use of premeditated tactics and non-traditional weapons. These offenders also benefit from common misconceptions and false expectations of offenders that can result in failure to identify non-stranger rapists who do not meet these expectations. To more effectively 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 presentation 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.

Now that the post Crawford law has settled a bit it is possible to present and succeed at trial without a victim. This workshop will discuss what evidence is admissible and how to strategize for your verdict from pre-trial to closing arguments.

The presenter is a lawyer, forensic expert, psychotherapist and nationally known expert in trauma, sexual assault and domestic violence. Gaining a really accurate understanding of the biological, survival-driven processes of the trauma-impacted brain and nervous system is essential, if law enforcement, prosecutors and advocates expect to engage successfully with female victims of violence. This workshop, now seen by over 12,500 professionals, provides unique insight and instruction available nowhere else, in an understandable and thoroughly entertaining format. Part 1 explains how internal biophysical processes of survival chemically determine external patterns of victim behavior after traumatic events. Part 2 explains, with specificity, the way in which biological processes affect and determine dynamic interrelationships between perpetrators, victims, and the criminal justice system.

In the emergency department many women walk in the doors with injury. Some may be seen for the first time after an altercation with their boyfriend. Some are seen again, and again, bruised, battered, and broken. Witnessing the progression of violence against women can be difficult. How can we help when they don’t want to leave? This workshop will focus on case studies demonstrating the vast contrast and severity of domestic violence and sexual assault using a multidisciplinary team approach when investigating crimes against women. Providing a medical forensic examination for domestic violence patients that do NOT want to report to law enforcement has proven helpful in prosecuting these cases later on when the decision to get help is finally made.

This session exposes the 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. The 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 related homicide using actual case examples and the common denominators in these fatal cases will also be discussed.

This workshop will provide an overview of options to obtain legal immigration status that areavailable to victims of domestic violence and other crimes. Primarily, the presentation will focus on the differences between options available under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which generally assists survivors of domestic violence, and U visas, which assist survivors of violent crime who have assisted law enforcement in the investigation or prosecution of the crime. The presenter will also provide 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).

In this workshop the presenter will introduce an updated sexual assault victim questionnaire that is designed to elicit behavioral as well as investigative answers in order to understand the actions of the offender, the interaction between the offender and the victim and how the offender reacts to changing situations. This is a victim-centered approach to better gain sensitive information from the victim in order to identify the type of sexual assault offender and to possibly link the offender to other sexual assaults. Case examples will be used to highlight specific points throughout the presentation.

Nonprofit boards are often riddled with political and functional challenges that creep into the running of the organization, conflicting with operations and inhibiting effectiveness, despite everyone’s devotion to the same set of goals. Based on his book The Nonprofit Secret, the presenter shares the Six Principles that can unlock an organization’s potential and lead to successful board/CEO partnerships. Participants will: 1) discover the simplest, but often overlooked, keys to strong Board-CEO relationships, 2) Uncover strategic ways to empower all members of your board, 3) develop skills to effectively set achievable goals and evaluate performance.

This presentation serves as an overview of stalking and the modern technology used by the stalker. It discusses investigation and prosecution strategies as well as interviewing techniques designed to maximize victim cooperation and safety. It also discusses offenders, the correlation between stalking and other forms of violence, lethality, and the importance of using a collaborative approach between law enforcement, victim advocates, and prosecutors to assist victims and hold offenders accountable. At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be better able to: recognize the danger stalkers pose to victims and their communities; detect and respond to stalking crimes; work with victims to promote their safety while investigating and prosecuting the stalker; collaborate and coordinate with allied professionals to identify, investigate, and ultimately prosecute stalking cases.

This two-part workshop will provide a comprehensive look at intimate partner strangulation. It is recommended that both sessions be attended together. The first part will provide participants with a better understanding how strangulation is different than all other types of intimate partner assault, both physiologically in terms of its lethal danger as well as 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. The second part 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 workshop will discuss burnout, which affects millions of Americans each year and has been called “the disease of our civilization.” Professionals who help protect children have a high risk of developing burnout. But there’s good news — burnout can be healed. The presenter, a former 20-year elected district attorney, personally experienced burnout and then conquered it. He has since become a “burnout expert” and has written and published on the subject and has taught thousands of people how to overcome burnout. Attendees will be laughing, and at the same time learning Mark’s F.I.N.G.E.R. philosophy to help themselves or their co-workers avoid and/or recover from burnout. This is a training that you won’t want to miss!

This presentation is both a case study and lecture. Attendees will go behind the scenes of the investigation detailed in the presenter’s best selling true crime book, Off the Streets, to learn how Anthony Smith, one of the most violent human traffickers in Las Vegas was taken down. In addition to detailing the actual investigation, the presenter will discuss the reality of the pimp/prostitute culture. The presenter will refute the commonly held misconceptions and the media propaganda about the sex trade. Lastly, he will provide attendees with strategies and best practices, for investigating and convicting human traffickers who trade in human misery.

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 on certain phones? Like many criminals, perpetrators of stalking and domestic violence are often ahead of the curve on the use of technology. Through the Internet, high-tech global positioning systems (GPS), cell-phones and computers, abusers misuse technology to further harm and control their victims. Understanding technology misuse is crucial to both supporting victims and holding offenders accountable. Drawing from survivor experiences and through videos and demonstrations, this workshop will illustrate the safety risks of phone, GPS, camera, Internet, and computer technologies.

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, to establish policies and procedures, and ultimately using the videos in court. Attendees will be shown examples of actual case videos and the manner in which the videos can establish the elements of the crime.

Why does research show over 89% of sexually exploited women report wanting out of the commercial sex industry, but do not feel they can survive? This workshop presents a model of providing aftercare services so women and girls can successfully survive outside of the industry and move towards lives of healing and empowerment. In the agencies’ history of over 15 years, we have developed this approach integrating multiple trauma-informed services. This workshop utilizes survivors’ perspectives on their needs during their transition of leaving exploitation. The objective of this workshop is to educate, equip, and engage service providers in comprehensive aftercare for victims.

This workshop will provide an overview of general terms used in trans* communities, a broad understanding of the trans* experience, and basic information about providing trans* affirming care for providers of intimate partner violence services.

In 2010, while walking to a motel on a warm summer night, Cindy was forced into a home at gunpoint and raped by two men. In this workshop, Cindy shares her story of survival and the importance of skilled advocacy through the criminal justice process. A brief case study will be presented of Cindy’s assault highlighting the lessons learned and demonstrating skills for advocating for high-risk clients. This workshop will also discuss the sometimes-difficult relationship between law enforcement and advocates from the perspective of the detective and a law enforcement-based advocate. The presenters will provide strategies for building relationships to improve services and investigations for victims. This workshop includes an interactive exercise to develop a common language that meets both parties’ needs.

In May 2014, the West Valley City, Utah Police Department with the assistance of the Utah Prosecution Council created and implemented a new protocol for sexual assault cases incorporating the principles learned from the national research on the neurobiology of trauma. This presentation focuses on the how-to’s of doing trauma-informed interviews and on dramatically improving the success in these cases. Video clips of both good and bad interviews will be shown and critiqued by attendees and the presenters.

The use of an expert in a trial can be the tipping point for a guilty verdict or an aggressive punishment. This workshop will discuss creative uses for experts in domestic violence cases including what topics you can discuss with your expert, and how to handle Daubert hearings.

The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 added a grant condition that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Many providers and grantees working with survivors have questions about what these new conditions mean and how it might impact their agency. Many are also unsure who to ask for additional support in their services to include survivors of all sexual orientations and gender identities. The presenter from FORGE, one of two national OVW-funded LGBTQ training and technical assistance providers, will discuss what support is available to your agency; how to make changes to align with the new VAWA non-discrimination conditions; and how to better serve transgender and LGBQ survivors of sexual assault, domestic and dating violence and stalking.

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 lecture 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 presentation 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 the experience and recreating the experience with vignettes and real-world videos.

Through the use of interactive participation, case studies, and re-enactments, the participants in this workshop will view the domestic violence incident and crime scene through the eyes of the investigating officer. On completion of this session, the participants will understand the five objectives of an on-scene investigation, interviewing techniques, victim behaviors and offender motivation.

We can’t stop domestic violence if we don’t stop the perpetrators and hold them accountable. This workshop draws from both research and clinical experience to reveal the underlying nature and causes of battering behavior. This presentation will explore the batterer’s profile and tactics, with a particular eye to understanding how he manages to be a tyrant at home while simultaneously escaping detection by the outside world. The presenter will then review research and case illustrations to show best practices for safe and effective interventions with men who batter to promote family safety, hold the offender accountable, and promote change. Cutting edge innovations will be discussed. Finally, the issue of assessment and improvement for batterer intervention programs will be discussed.

Nationally, prosecutors report that witness intimidation is near 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 its origins and will guide the participants through the Crawford vs. Washington case and how it has impacted prosecuting the domestic violence incident 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 students.

From early 2011 to late 2013, FBI El Paso investigated an interstate, domestic sex trafficking organization known as “424 Records,” which masqueraded as a legitimate, east coast hip hop record label. The investigation resulted in the identification, arrest, and conviction of the 10 members of this organization, and the identification of over 20 victims recruited and trafficked by them. This presentation will not only share best practices and investigative techniques, but will focus on 424 Records’ recruiting techniques and use of social media, as well as lessons learned with regard to victims and “bottom girls.”

Christina Lynn Adkins, 18 years old and 5 months pregnant, was last seen on January 10, 1995, less than 100 yards from home. For 18 years, the investigation into her disappearance focused on a strong suspect, but remained a mystery despite repeated efforts by law enforcement revisiting the case. In August of 2013, investigators began one final review, and, with the benefit of a shift in perspective arising from the resolution of another long-term missing case in Cleveland, identified and convicted the perpetrator on more than 295 counts of murder, rape, kidnapping, and molestation for his involvement in the disappearance of Adkins, the murder of Pamela Pemberton, and other offenses committed in Cleveland between 1993 and 2003. See this link.

This case study will review the challenges associated with a complex multi-victim crime scene from an investigative and forensic prospective. Late October 2009 was the commencement of a rare and unique experience for the City of Cleveland and the Cuyahoga County Coroner’s Office. During the implementation of a search warrant for kidnapping and rape, two bodies in advanced stages of decomposition were discovered in a Cleveland residence. In the days following, eight additional decomposed bodies and a cranium were discovered in various locations throughout the residence and in backyard shallow graves. This discussion will focus on scene investigation and documentation, autopsy procedures and findings, and finally, methods utilized for identification purposes. The presenter’s experience with the victims of the Imperial Avenue strangler, reiterates the importance of a strategic plan incorporating input from all investigative agencies involved in the situation. See this link.

In May 2010, Michael Wayne Jackson was tried for aggravated robbery and acquitted. This case was one of many aggravated robberies that he had committed against high-end escorts with whom he would set up appointments, accept service, and then rob them using a knife or gun. The presenters will discuss how prosecutors and investigators eventually obtained two 60-year sentences, stacked, against Jackson for Aggravated Robbery and Aggravated Sexual Assault. During this presentation you will learn how the use of current technology, including cell phone records and escort related websites, was used to bring Jackson to justice.

This case study will examine the investigation and prosecution of Lonnie Kerley for the death of Danna Dever. Danna’s body was located in a rural area of Solano County, California in 1996, and she remained unidentified until 2007. When investigators identified her they learned that she had a long history of being a victim of domestic violence, at the hand of Lonnie Kerley. The prosecution of this case was based on circumstantial evidence that was discovered through tireless efforts of detectives gathered over a ten year period. See this link.

The investigation of Sheryl Norris’s murder on November 24, 1975 was the very definition of a cold case. This case study will chronicles how one investigator breathed life back into a dormant case and how modern forensics finally brought her killer to justice, after it became the oldest case CODIS hit in Texas.

Dereck Johnson kidnapped a 15-year-old girl (T.W.) in broad daylight, within view of the federal courthouse in downtown Dallas, while she was on a layover heading to visit family in Arizona. He took her to a friend’s house, forced her to use drugs, and sexually assaulted her. He ultimately took her to a Houston truck stop and forced her to engage in commercial sex acts for days before she managed to get away from him. T.W. did not admit what happened immediately, it was only after hearing a presentation on trafficking from a non-profit group months later. This case study will address the investigative challenges faced because of the delayed outcry, the lack of physical evidence and witnesses issues. It will also address the grand jury, pre-trial and sentencing issues in the case. See this link.

In this workshop, the presenters will discuss the investigation, guilty plea and sentencing of Richard Meltz, a former New Jersey police officer and former chief of police at the Veteran’s Affairs Hospital in Bedford, Massachusetts. Through the use of a Title III wiretap as well as FBI agents working in an undercover capacity, the presenters and their FBI counterparts successfully infiltrated an online network where individuals purportedly engaged in “fantasy role-play” about the rape, torture, and murder of women. Law enforcement identified targets—including Meltz—that were looking to take their “fantasies” offline, and executed a sting operation that led to the arrest of Meltz and others. Discussed during this presentation will be the investigative techniques used, as well as the “fantasy defense” advanced by Meltz and others, including his co-defendants, who were convicted following trial. See this link.

In this computer lab attendees will learn two separate and distinct ways to search for evidence on Facebook. The lab also covers Twitter searching, Twitter profiles, tweet keywords and hashtags. It also shows how latitude and longitude can play an important role in searching for tweets. Attendees will see how Instagram is becoming a major player in the social networking space. The lab introduces several methods for conducting Instagram searches, including using third-party resources that do not require an Instagram account.

Using technology to investigate crime is challenging because there are so many different ways to turn and countless products to use. This hands-on computer lab demonstrates some of the tools on which investigators should focus. Attendees will see tools that can help accomplish a wide range of tasks, including pulling out critical data from photos, using a desktop computer to simulate a tablet, and “faking” a device’s GPS to gain access to information that otherwise would have been unavailable. Attendees will learn how to download, install, and use portable apps in their investigations. Those who bring a thumb drive with at least 3 GB of free space can copy SEARCH’s portable apps suite to take home. This lab also covers resources attendees can pass along in their community safety presentations and other work with victims.

The landscape for investigating crimes against women has expanded because of technology. This hands-on computer lab demonstrates how technology can facilitate crimes of sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking. It also demonstrates how technology can facilitate in the investigation of these crimes. The lab takes attendees through various popular social media sites and apps, including Kik, Yik Yak, ask.fm, and Whisper. It will teach investigators how to work with a victim to determine her technology profile, including asking questions about user names, apps, privacy settings, and who has access to her device/computer and accounts.