Dates: 2008 September 7 to 9
Location: Sheraton Cavalier Hotel,
2620 - 32 Ave N.E., Calgary, Alberta
(403) 291-0107 www.sheratoncalgary.ca
Rooms $169.00 per night.
Ask for Winning Mind Training rate.
Costs: (Includes Lunch each day.)
Legacy of Excellence Conference - $395.00 (plus GST)
Legacy of Excellence Conference AND Psychology of Use of Force Seminar September 10, 2008. - $475.00 (plus GST)
Psychology of Use of Force Seminar September 10. - $125.00 (plus GST)
Presentations:
September 7
Hard Fought Lessons From a Canadian Warrior
By Warrant Officer Willy MacDonald
Warrant Officer MacDonald will give a presentation on his experiences in Afghanistan conducting operations with against Taliban forces as part of a special unit with the PPCLI. He was involved in over 20 engagements with the enemy including three sustained gun battles. One of the most fierce battles was 12 hours long as he and his comrades were pinned down in a building by the enemy. Willy watched his fellow soldiers taking gunfire wounds and RPG hits all around him during this sustained battle; several members of his unit were killed in the engagement.
During this powerful presentation he will address:
1) The importance of realistic training.
2) Proper care of equipment.
3) Sensory distortion during combat.
4) Accepting and managing critical incident stress.Warrant Officer MacDonald joined the Canadian Forces in 1989 as a reserve Infanteer with the Royal Regina Rifles. Following a year of university he decided to join the regular force Infantry with the PPCLI. As a member of the PPCLI Warrant Officer MacDonald has been on the following missions:
1994 - Op Cavalier (Bosnia)
1997 - Op Palladium (Bosnia)
1999 - Op Kinetic (Kosovo)
2002 - Op Palladium (Bosnia)
2006 - Op Archer (Afghanistan)
Following returning from Afghanistan Warrant Officer MacDonald was posted to Land Forces Western Area Training Centre in Wainwright where he is currently employed.
Inspiring the Winning Mind and Warrior SpiritBy Marcus Young and Brian Willis
Warriors in law enforcement, corrections and military face a unique and exciting blend of opportunities and challenges. To meet these challenges and perform at the highest levels throughout their careers warriors must be committed to pursuing personal excellence. A key element in this pursuit is total preparation of the mind, body and spirit with a commitment to be always better tomorrow than today. Total preparation of the mind and body will be explored through the analogy of the Warrior Pyramid. This dynamic presentation examines the issue of winning and what it means those in the warrior professionals. The presentation also examines the Warrior Spirit by exploring warrior values such as honor, integrity, humility and strength of character. Strategies to allow officers to nurture, foster and develop those values and the Warrior Spirit in themselves and their fellow officers will be discussed.
This dynamic and interactive presentation will utilize a number of strategies including case studies and lessons from inside the prison walls to address critical issues in training and leading warriors. Marcus Young will also describe how developing the winning mind and warrior spirit enabled him to remain focused on the mission and win the fight during a violent encounter where he was shot multiple times by a violent gang member. The focus of the presentation will be to give officers and trainers strategies and tools they can take back and use immediately to develop the Winning Mind and Warrior Spirit.
Marcus Young is a 20-year veteran of law enforcement. In 2007, he graduated from the University of San Francisco with a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology. Marcus serves his community and Mendocino College as the Director of Public Safety Programs. In 2003 the International Association of Chiefs of Police recognized him as the Officer of the Year. He is also the Presidential Medal of Valor Winner. Marcus has presented to numerous audiences in eight states.
Brian Willis is a 25 year law enforcement veteran with over 18 years experience as a trainer. He is the president of the innovative training company Winning Mind Training. Brian serves as an Advisory Board Member for ILEETA and is a member of NTOA, ITOA and the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers. Brian has delivered performance enhancement and instructor development training to law enforcement trainers and agencies across North America. In addition to his extensive work with law enforcement officers Brian has worked as a mental preparation and conditioning coach with amateur, college and Olympic level athletes. He is the recipient of the Canadian Officer Safety Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to officer safety training in Canada.
September 8
Realities of Combat Shooting and How To Train For It
By Assistant Chief Randy Watt
Based on a study of officer-involved shootings in a variety of circumstances and media, a review of the most current training related principles, philosophies and concepts, the application of the latest technology, and the presenter’s personal experiences. The presentation focuses and what works and what doesn’t in police combat, and discusses how to train to have the best chance to win in a lethal confrontation.
Chief Watt is a twenty-eight year veteran of the Ogden Police Department in Ogden, Utah and has been assigned to both the Uniform and Special Services Divisions during his career, working a multitude of assignments at all levels of supervision. Chief Watt is a recipient of various medals and commendations, including the department’s Medal of Valor (twice awarded).
Chief Watt is the former Commander of the Ogden/Metro SWAT Team, a 30-officer multi-agency regional tactical team that serves a two-county area with a population of 225,000. Chief Watt was assigned to the team for many years, working his way up through the team to the position of Operations Sergeant and then Commander. Chief Watt has extensive experience in tactical operations, ranging from high-risk warrant service to hostage rescue.
Chief Watt is a nationally recognized expert in the field of law enforcement special operations and counter-terrorism. He is an advisor to the Technical Support Working Group (T.S.W.G.), Office of Combating Terrorism, in Washington, D.C. He is a lead instructor for the International Association of Chiefs of Police (I.A.C.P.) in a variety of S.W.A.T., Leadership, and Terrorism courses. Chief Watt is a member of the Advisory Panel and an instructor for the National Tactical Officer’s Association (N.T.O.A.), and is the year 2000 recipient of the John Kolman Award of Excellence. Prior to the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, then Lieutenant Watt was co-chair of the Tactical Response Sub-Committee and spent four years studying terrorism and writing the tactical response plan for protection of the Olympic Games. Chief Watt has taught hostage rescue tactics and techniques to foreign military and police units and is a consultant to local, state and federal tactical units. Chief Watt holds a M.B.A. from the University of Phoenix, a B.Sc. degree from Weber State University, and is a graduate of Session 191 of the FBI National Academy.
Chief Watt is also a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Utah Army National Guard’s 19th Special Forces Group with 26 years of active duty and reserve experience. Currently assigned as the Commander of 1st Battalion, he is a graduate of the Basic Airborne and Jumpmaster Schools, Special Forces Qualification Course, Infantry Officer’s Basic and Advanced Courses, Special Forces Officers Qualification Course, CAS3, CGSC, Special Forces Advanced Urban Combat Instructor (SFAUC), Special Forces Basic Combat Course - Support Instructor (SFBCC-S) and Military Freefall (HALO) School.
As a result of the terrorist attack on the United States on September 11, 2001, then Major Watt was activated in December, 2001, as part of a combined task force sent to Afghanistan to locate and destroy Al Qaida terrorists. Serving for one year, he was in command of special operations in a specific geographic region of Afghanistan and conducted combat operations directly against enemy forces. As a result of his service, Major Watt received the Bronze Star Medal with “V” device for valor, the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service in combat, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the G.W.O.T. Expeditionary and Service Medals, and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal. In July of 2006, LTC Watt was activated again and deployed to Baghdad, Iraq, as a Counter-Terrorism Advisor to Iraqi Security Forces, serving another one-year combat tour, most of which was in Sadr City, Baghdad. As a result of his service in Iraq, LTC Watt received another Bronze Star and the Iraq Campaign Medal. He was featured in the 6-week ABC special “Profiles from the Front Line”, aired on ABC starting 27 February, 2003 and was also profiled in the July/August 2004 issue of Men’s Health magazine.
Emotional Survival of Use of Force / Critical Incidents
By Alexis Artwohl
During this class Dr. Artwohl will present an analysis of the psychology of high threat and combat situations and the implications for physical, legal, and psychological survival. She will review survival research from the areas of psychology, sociology, law enforcement, investigations, and her experience talking with hundreds of officers involved in critical incidents and use of force situations. This will include her research on ‘Perceptual and Memory Distortions in Officer Involved Shootings’ published in the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin in October 2002, and her article ‘No Recall of Weapons Discharge’ published in the Law Enforcement Executive Forum in May, 2003.
Dr. Artwohl will discuss recommendations of how these incidents can best be handled by all concerned to help minimize the emotional impact on the community, officers, family members, and the agency, This will include including reviewing the IACP recommendations about how to help minimize psychological trauma to officers and family members in the aftermath of officer involved shootings. She will review the research on critical incident debriefings and discuss the types of debriefings that may help officers, family members, and agencies emotionally survive the aftermath.
Alexis Artwohl, Ph.D. (www.alexisartwohl.com) is an internationally recognized behavioral science consultant to law enforcement as a trainer, researcher, and author. She is on the National Advisory Boards of the Force Science Research Center (www.forcescience.org) and the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association (www.ileeta.org). She is the Behavioral Sciences Section Chair for the National Tactical Officers Association (www.ntoa.org), and a Certified Trainer with the Western Community Policing Institute (www.westernrcpi.com). Her areas of training include: risk management issues relevant to use of force, maximizing peak performance training for extreme stress events, the psychology of surviving deadly force encounters and coping with the aftermath, and psychological issues relevant to investigating officer-involved shootings. Dr. Artwohl is co-author of the book DEADLY FORCE ENCOUNTERS. During her 16 years as a private practice clinical and police psychologist, she provided traumatic incident debriefings and psychotherapy to numerous public safety personnel and their family members along with consultation to multiple agencies throughout the Pacific Northwest. Her husband, retired Asst. Chief David S. Butzer, is an international policing consultant with missions to Kosovo, Jordan, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
September 9
Visions of Courage
By Bobby Smith
Bobby Smith discusses with a unique blend of seriousness and humor, how to deal with the tragedies of life. All of us experience the unfortunate reality of emotional and physical losses. Bobby teaches the importance of not taking a single day or person for granted. He further explains how we often learn as children that big boys don’t cry and that to ask for help is a sign of weakness. This results in the accumulation of grief and loss that we may be unwilling and sometimes unable to process. Bobby explains that we may choose to store the pain in what he refers to as a “closet.” However, avoiding or suppressing emotions does not mean they go away. Traumatic events often take their toil on one’s physical, mental, and emotional health, as well as impacting relationships and careers.
Bobby Smith, a retired Louisiana State Trooper, is a recognized national/international speaker who has addressed a variety of audiences, including law enforcement, government agencies, emergency medical teams, corporations, schools and churches.
When speaking, Bobby shares his education and experiences of his 25 year law enforcement career. He also reveals the traumatic events of his life, including the incident in March 1986 when he was left blind after a shotgun blast to the face by a drug offender while in the line of duty.
Bobby began his career in criminal justice by studying at the University of Louisiana at Monroe and by working as a police officer at local police agencies and later advancing to the Louisiana State Police. His assignments have included patrol, investigations, narcotics, personnel and training. Bobby earned a Bachelors of Arts degree in Criminal Justice, and after being shot, a Masters Degree in Education, and a doctorate in Counseling Psychology.
Terrorism, Patriotism, Commitment -- LEADING WHEN IT COUNTS
By Col. Danny McKnight
Colonel McKnight brings his experience to others through his presentation that provides a better understanding of the unparalleled commitment and leadership required to be successful when executing operations in the most difficult and severe situations. Many key values associated with successful leadership will be highlighted and referenced throughout the presentation. The real world experiences associated with his involvement in the event of October 1993 in Mogadishu, Somalia, will be expounded on to relate the commitment and leadership necessary to achieve mission success.
COL Danny McKnight retired in January 2002 after serving a 28 year distinguished and highly decorated career as a U.S. Army Ranger. COL McKnight’s final assignment was as the Chief of Staff for First Army, based at Fort Gillem, Georgia. His efforts as the Commander of the 75th Ranger Regiment elements assigned to Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia were chronicled in the book Black Hawk Down and the movie by the same name.
COL McKnight’s awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit with Two Oak Leaf Clusters; Bronze Star for Valor; Purple Heart; Meritorious Service medal with Five Oak Leaf Clusters; National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Star; Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with Arrowhead and Bronze Star; Combat Infantryman’s Badge; Ranger Tab; Master Parachutist Badge with Combat Star; and Pathfinder Badge.
He graduated from the U.S. Army War College, Air Command and Staff College, Infantry Officer Advanced Course, Ranger School, Airborne School, and Infantry Officer Basic Course. He also served as an Assistant Professor of Military Science in the University of Florida Army ROTC Department.
His military career also included combat duty on two occasions in Panama 1989 and Somalia 1993 (basis for the Book and Movie Black Hawk Down). Colonel McKnight’s awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit (2 awards), the Bronze Star Medal for Valor, the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Ranger Tab, the Master Parachutist Badge with Combat Star, and the Pathfinder Badge. After completing 28 and one-half years of service to our country, Colonel McKnight returned to his hometown in Florida. He has served in two Homeland Security related positions in Brevard County as the Homeland Security Coordinator for the County’s Emergency Management Office, then as the Homeland Security Training Coordinator in the Criminal Justice Center at Brevard Community College.
