Law enforcement officers got a break from the daily grind this week to learn new tricks and meet new friends at the annual Crime Conference that kicked off Tuesday at Centennial Hall.
Training and networking: “That’s really the focus,” of the conference, said Steve Hall, an Alaska Wildlife Trooper and president of the Capital City Chapter of the Alaska Peace Officers Association.
APOA hosts the conference each year in different cities. Last year it was held in Anchorage, and next year it will be held in Kenai, Hall said.
Some of this year’s 120 registered attendees — who came from police departments as far away as Fairbanks, Anchorage, Seward and Unalaska — sat in on classes to learn more about forensic interviews, outdoor crime scene digital photography and active shooter and tactical response.
Others listened to a former Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) supervisor talk about the 1993 siege of the Branch Davidian compound outside Waco, Texas.
But on Friday, all will have a chance to learn a little about lie detection. The general public is welcome to pay $40 to attend a lecture by the conference’s keynote speaker, Janine Driver, also known as the “Lyin’ Tamer.”
“It’s worth 40 dollars,” Juneau Police Department Lt. Kris Sell said.
A retired ATF federal law enforcement officer, Driver is a body language expert who offers her expertise on detecting deception on network news shows. She’s appeared on NBC’s Today Show, FOX News and CNN’s Larry King Live, as well as the Dr. Oz Show and The Rachael Ray Show, according to Driver’s website.
It’s the first time the conference has opened its doors to the general public, Sell said. Tickets can be purchased at the door.
It was also the first time the conference provided a gun range for law enforcement officers to test fire new pistols, rifles and handguns. Wednesday was dubbed “Range Day” at the Juneau Gun Club.
Local vendors such as Taku Tactical turned out to show off new products as did out-of-state vendors such as Surefire, Glock, Kimber America and Sig-Sauer.
The conference wraps up Friday with Driver’s lecture, which begins at 8 a.m.
• Contact reporter Emily Russo Miller at 523-2263 or at emily.miller@juneauempire.com.
Comments (6)
Add commentgood old boys
A pretty expensive get together. Who, other than public employees holds a conference in Juneau?
snagger....lots of people.
snagger....lots of people. We're the state capital for cryin out loud.
Juneau Convention and Visitor's Bureau
Snagger, it may interest you to know of the JCVB and their mission to improve the local economy by soliciting outside groups to select Juneau as their convention city. Not only is Juneau the State's Capital City, but it is also home to the Mendenhall Glacier, and wildlife galore. As Juneau is an active cruise destination, many types of excursions are available to the visiting puplic. Juneau is a destination that attracts conference attendees and therefore conference hosts will select Juneau as their destination.
Just.......
Build a road!
Silencers??
Why do police need silencers for their rifles??
@AukeBayRay @Snagger
I asked the same question when I was at the gun range that day, and one of the vendors, who gave me his sales pitch, said that law enforcement have used silencers for many years, primarily to reduce the sound of their gunfire so they can better hear what's going on around them, and react appropriately, should they be caught in gunfire or crossfire.
He told me, for example, that if you hear a noise behind you, it's instinctive to look, but you can't do that or be aware what's going on, obviously, if you temporarily lose your hearing.
The particular silencer he showed reduced the sound of the gunfire from 190 decibels to 130 decibels, (for reference, I believe it's commonly accepted that a normal conversation is 60 dB and according to these two Surefire charts, the OSHA puts anything over 140 dB level as unsafe:
http://www.surefire.com/tactical-equipment/suppressors/rifle-carbine-sup...
http://www.surefire.com/tactical-equipment/suppressors/rifle-carbine-sup... )
And, according to Surefire's website, suppressors are good for: protecting against temporary or permanent hearing loss, preserving "situational awareness and crucial communication," reducing and altering sound signature, reducing or eliminating muzzle flash and dust raised by muzzle blast, concealing a shooter's position and reducing recoil.
So that's the sales pitch. Who knew?
@Snagger
Thought you might like a little more info on the cost of the conference, and how it's funded:
Lt. Kris Sell told me on Wednesday that the conference cost $120, 000 to put on, and Steve Hall told me during our interview that it was paid for out of the Capital City chapter's budget and that other chapters of the APOA contributed money. He said it was also paid for by charging conference fees for the 120 registered attendees and vendor fees.
APOA is a nonprofit.