"The professional voice of crime prevention in Ohio"
OCPA 2007 Annual Conference
HIGHLIGHTS
CONFERENCE PHOTO GALLERY
AWARD RECIPIENTS
BLANKENSHIP HONOREE
OCPA Hosts 30th Anniversary
Training Conference
Informative training seminars, dynamic keynote speakers and an excellent turnout from OCPA members and guests made OCPA’s 30th Anniversary training conference a huge success.
The conference, titled “30 Years of Service . . . Working to Keep Communities Safe,” began with a keynote address from Lt. General Emil “Buck” Bedard (retired USMC), who offered a humorous and poignant perspective on leadership. Lt General Bedard suggested that training on weak areas and not accepting failure is the key to success. He related his work in the Marine Corps to the work that leaders in law enforcement and crime prevention are called to do every day.
Other keynote speakers included Domingo Herraiz, Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, and Jack Hannah, Director Emeritus of the Columbus Zoo. Director Herraiz spoke of taking initiative to make things happen and provided perspective on projects and partnerships that are coming out of the Bureau of Justice Assistance. Jack Hannah shared some entertaining stories about his various travels and appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman and brought a variety of rare and exotic animals.
Special guests at the conference included ODPS Director Henry Guzman, Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman, Columbus Police Chief James Jackson and Ohio State Highway Patrol Superintendent Richard H. Collins. Brian Laliberte, Deputy First Assistant Attorney General, attended and gave remarks on behalf of Attorney General Marc Dann, who could not attend due to a family emergency. We were also joined by Tomi Dorris, Interim Executive Director of the Ohio Peace Officers Training Academy, Karhlton Moore, Director of the Office of Criminal Justice Services, and Shaun Campbell, representing the National Crime Prevention Council.
The conference offered 16 different training sessions on timely crime prevention topics such as campus crime prevention, internet predators and school safety plans. The annual awards included the presentation of the distinguished Michael Blankenship Memorial Service Award to Hugh Bennett, with this year being the 10th anniversary of Officer Blankenship’s untimely death (see separate story). And outgoing OCPA President Earl Smith spoke of leadership and visions for the future before swearing in new OCPA President Shari Robertson and the rest of the Board for 2007-2008 (see separate story).
Based on the reviews from conference participants, the 30th Anniversary conference was informative, fun and entertaining. We look forward to next year and making it the best conference yet.
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