IN-NAFTO 2004 Annual Training Conference RECAP

February 9th and 10th, 2004

The 2004 Indiana NAFTO Conference was held in Bloomington Indiana on February 9th and 10th, 2004. A lot of hard work went into putting together a great conference. Big thanks go out to all who made the conference possible. In the past In-NAFTO has held small conferences that lasted for only a day. This event was much different then past conferences which was quickly obvious by the breadth and scope of the conference schedule.

The conference this year was held at the Bloomington Convention Center which provided a spacious room, comfortable chairs, and plenty of beverages. The morning started with a continental breakfast as conference attendees began arriving and greeting each other. This was an opportunity for many of the 44 attendees to meet each other and reacquaint themselves with old friends. The Indiana NAFTO board members were busy stuffing folders, registering attendees, and handing out conference information.

The conference opened with a word from the Director Steve Kellams who introduced two people who have been influential in field training programs in the Bloomington area. Capt. Keith Cash with the Indiana University Police Department opened with an affirmation of law enforcement training in general and field training in particular. This speech was taken up again by the next opening speaker Capt. Mike Diekhoff of the Bloomington Police Department and President of the Bloomington City Council. Capt Diekhoff challenged the conference attendees to take the concept of field training back to their departments and to strive for a more professional law enforcement community.

Director Kellams introducing the opening speakers.	Captain Keith Cash of the Indiana University Police Department	Captain Mike Diekhoff of the Bloomington Police Department

The conference really got underway when Sgt. Kellams introduced one of the most engaging guest speakers around. This guest speaker was Dr. James Reese, a Vietnam veteran and retired FBI Agent. Dr. Reese’s company is based out of Williamsburg Virginia, and his speaking engagements keep him very busy. We were lucky enough to have Dr. Reese speak for the entire first day of the conference. Dr. Reese spoke to the audience about law enforcement stress, as well as mentoring and peer counseling. Dr. Reeses experiences in the FBI made him particularly skilled in relating to the students. After listening to Dr. Reese, it is clear that he is very good at what he does. Dr. Reese made the audience consider what really is important in life and what is not. Many of the attendees said that Dr. Reese was one of the finest speakers they had ever been privileged to hear. If your group or organization is looking for a keynote speaker you could do no better then Dr. Reese.

Dr. James Reese.	Dr. James Reese speaking to a packed house.

The day didn’t end after Dr. Reese finished speaking. The attendees meet again that evening at the Irish Lion Pub. As expected the establishment is an authentic Irish Pub specializing in Irish cuisine and beverages. The atmosphere was perfect for enjoying your favorite drink while meeting with the other members. Many of the attendees spent several hours discussing FTO issues and enjoying the Bloomington night life.

The second day began quite early for some of the conference members as the evening’s social event turned into an early morning event. The convention center had a much welcome continental breakfast as the members slowly made their way to their seats. The guest speaker for the second day was Lt. Andy Chandler of the Evansville Police Department and he spent the morning speaking about leadership and ethics. Lt. Chandler used parables, movie clips, and humorous stories to illustrate the challenges of leading others. Even though he was in the unenviable position of following Dr. Reese on the schedule, he was very interesting, and did a very nice job with the presentation. Lt. Chandler made the audience think about how to be better leaders and better Field Training Officers.

Lt. Andy Chandler of the Evansville Police Department speaking about leadership and ethics.

Instead of breaking for lunch on the second day the convention center provided a full lunch buffet. The food was excellent and plentiful, but this was a working lunch. After the members had a moment to eat the official meeting for Indiana NAFTO was conducted. New by-laws were introduced and voted into effect, and officers were elected. Finally Chuck Knoll, 4th Vice President for the National chapter brought the meeting to a close.

The final speaker was Randy Davis of the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy. Mr. Davis spoke on the evolution of law enforcement. There is no better speaker on this topic in Indiana since Randy Davis has been involved in the formalized training of new officers at the academy level from the very beginning. Wow, how things have changed. Everything from longer academies to lengthier field training programs have been developed in recent years. Field training programs did not even exist when Mr. Davis first started; now look how advanced and time consuming some programs are.

Randy Davis of the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy.

Overall, the conference was a huge success. There was a great turnout with over forty officers in attendance for the two day event. There was also an excellent turnout at the social gathering Monday night held at the Irish Lion. Everyone would agree that the decision to hold this event there was a great one by Sgt. Kellams of the Bloomington Police Department.

Field training is becoming ever more important in law enforcement. That is why it is important to have informed field training programs. These programs can be built through cooperation with the Indiana NAFTO; by communicating with other Field Training Officers and witness how other police departments work their program.

In conclusion, thanks to everybody who made the Field Training Conference a great success, the organizers, speakers, and most importantly to the Field Training Officers in attendance. Without the FTOs there would be no FTO program. The pay is not outstanding, but we are FTOs because we want to make new officers the best that they can be. Through Indiana NAFTO and a conference similar to the one held in Bloomington on February 9th and 10th, we can all get involved, learn from each other, and make our Field Training programs better than ever.