| Training in Buffalo—Standing
Room Only
Posting of the colors by the Buffalo Police Department. |
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If you plan a conference and more than double the expected
number of people show up, you may have tapped into something.
The Weed and Seed Law Enforcement Coordination Training Workshop
held May 17–20, 2004, in Buffalo, NY, far exceeded attendance
expectations. Originally, the Community Capacity Development
Office (CCDO) anticipated 500–650 registrants, but the
actual number exceeded 1,100 attendees. The general sessions
had to be moved from the conference hotel to the convention
center across the street.
CCDO alternates a national law enforcement conference with
a national Weed and Seed conference every other year. Participants
were welcomed by Michael A. Battle, U.S. Attorney for the Western
District of New York; Glen T. Suddaby, U.S. Attorney for the
Northern District of New York; Anthony Massiello, Mayor of
Buffalo; Nelson Hernandez, Director of CCDO; and Cheri Nolan,
Deputy Assistant Attorney General.
This mural, and the young people who met with conference
participants on the site visit, represent the power of leadership
and change demonstrated by Weed and Seed communities. |
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Ms. Nolan opened the conference with a panel on reentry, a
major CCDO initiative, to explore effective strategies being
implemented in Weed and Seed sites. General sessions covered
homicides, the National Drug Intelligence Center, international
and domestic responses to clandestine drug labs, and the Strategic
Prevention Framework of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration. Sheriff Dave Reichert, National Sheriff's
Association 2004 Sheriff of the Year and lead investigator
on the Green River Killer case in King County, WA, spoke about
the power of commitment and service.
The conference offered 7 preconference learning labs, 8 general
sessions, and 48 workshops. Major themes focused on effective
community and law enforcement partnerships, reentry, Project
Safe Neighborhoods, drug and alcohol enforcement efforts, and
crime mapping and analysis. New topics included drug-endangered
children and human trafficking.
The Law Enforcement
Coordination Honor Awards went to Bristol, TN; Lincoln, ME; Adroscoggin, ME; Oahu, HI; and Phoenix, AZ;
with an honorable mention for Orange, NJ.
A new award was established in honor of officers slain or
severely wounded while performing their duties in a Weed and
Seed site: the Officer Nicholas Sloan Award of Valor, in honor
of Officer Sloan who died in January 2004 in a St. Louis Weed
and Seed site. Sloan’s partner, Officer Gabriel Keithley,
who was shot during an undercover investigation with Sloan,
received the first award.
CCDO is appreciative of the local conference planning committee
and the strong support from the host districts. Tim Scioli,
LECC for the Western District, convened a great planning committee
with participation from each of the Weed and Seed sites in
the Western District. Pete Laun, LECC from the Northern District,
provided a learning lab and a number of workshops and general
sessions. Oswaldo Mestre, the Buffalo Weed and Seed Coordinator,
hosted a wonderful site visit.
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