I'd like to encourage everyone to attend the 48th Annual International Association of Women Police Training Conference, that will be held this year in Minneapolis, Minnesota, September 26-30, 2010. This year's theme is "Strength in Unity."
For those of you who have never attended an IAWP Conference before, I strongly encourage you to attend. But be prepared . . . once you attend one, it's unlikely that you'll be able to stay away from future ones! The training that you'll experience at the conferences are second to none, and the connections that you'll be able to make with women officers (and some men) from around the country and around the world is priceless. For those who have attended IAWP Conferences before, I know that I'm "preaching to the choir!"
Multiple training tracks will be provided at this year's conference, so there will be something for everyone, no matter what your rank or what your interests. Areas that will be covered include Law Enforcement, Probation, Corrections, Legal, Skills, International, Technology, What's Current, and Enrichment! An amazing assortment of classes will be provided, and I encourage you to go onto the IAWP website at www.iawp.org and click on conferences, then go to the link for the Minneapolis Conference to get all the details!
You should also be aware that the registration rates will be going up one last time on July 1st, from $500.00 to $600.00 for members, from $550.00 to $650.00 for non-members, and from $250.00 to $275.00 for retirees and companions, so you'll want to try and take advantage of the lower rates now. Many Department's fiscal year end on June 30th, and if they don't use their training funds, they generally will lose them and not be able to carry it over to the next fiscal year. For agencies that regularly pay to send their employees to training conferences, this is a great opportunity for you to attend! For those of you who must use your own vacation or comp time to attend, as I have to do, I can assure you that the investment in time and money that you make to attend the conference will be well worth it. AND, don't forget, all expenses relating to the trip are a tax write-off, to boot! Look at is as an investment in your law enforcement future.
For those of you that I haven't met in person, I hope that I'll get a chance to meet you there! For those I have, I look forward to seeing you again! Make your plans now, and I'll see you there!
