Greetings one and all! I hope that your plans for 2011 will include attending this year's 49th Annual IAWP Training Conference in Lexington, Kentucky, August 21st through the 25th at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Lexington. For those of you who have never attended an IAWP Conference before, I can tell you that it is an amazing opportunity, not only for obtaining some outstanding training, but also for making important law enforcement connections with other women from around the country and around the world. It's an investment in your future, and one that you shouldn't miss. (AND, it's a tax write-off to boot!) Check out the link to the 2011 conference on the IAWP website at www.iawp.org.

For those of you who might be interested in presenting at the Conference in Lexington, their Training Committee is currently asking for a "call for papers" for people to submit their workshop proposals. The Committee is working to ensure that the 2011 workshops reflect the international interests of the IAWP membership and attendees at the event, and are looking at training to be developed along topic tracks which include the following:

Tactical/Patrol

Leadership/Supervision

International Policing

Global Terrorism

Emerging Trends/Topics - Investigations, Technology, Training

Individuals or organizations wishing to conduct a workshop at the Conference must complete and submit a Workshop Proposal Form to the Training Committee by February 1st. To obtain a copy of the Workshop Proposal Form, go onto the 2011 Conference link on the IAWP website.

The Women's Street Survival Seminar presented by Calibre Press will be held February 16th and 17th at the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino at 4000 W. Flamingo Road in Las Vegas, 800-331-5334. Tuition for the seminar is $215.00 per officer and $75.00 for a spouse. PoliceOne members will receive a 10% discount on their Street Survival tuition. (To secure your discount, mention the code "P1C" if registering by phone, or include it on your faxed, mailed or e-mailed registration. If registering on the Calibre Press web site, please include this code in the "DISCOUNT CODE" section). Registration for the training begins at 0730 hrs, and the class runs from 0800-1700 hrs. daily. Instructors for the training will be Retired Sergeant Betsy Branter Smith and Dave "Buck Savage" Smith.

This training is a MUST attend for anyone in law enforcement of any rank, whether you're a rookie or a salty veteran. The skills you will learn in this training can save your life, and the dynamic instructors are riviting and will really provide you with an eye opening experience. I've attended both a "regular" Street Survivor Seminar, as well as the Women's Street Survival Seminar, and both are excellent; however, as a female law enforcement officer, there was NOTHING like attending the Women's Seminar, which addressed many issues that are specific to women. I can't recommend this training enough, and Betsy is one of the most dynamic speakers I've ever experienced. You won't regret attending! To register for this event, contact Christine Williams at 800-323-0037, extension 5161 or by e-mail at christine.williams@calibrepress.com. And for those of you living in Nevada, the training has been approved for requirements by the Nevada Commission on P.O.S.T.

Finally, the California Peace Officers' Association (CPOA) will be hosting it's 91st Annual Leadership Summit, "Developing Excellence in Leadership", at the Omni Hotel in San Diego, May 25-27, 2011. Region 10 member, Chief Sandra Spagnoli from the San Leandro (CA) Police Department, will be honored as the CPOA's incoming President! For more information, contact the CPOA at 555 Capitol Mall, Suite 1495 in Sacramento, CA 95814.

Until next time, stay safe!