Behind the Badge
In “TED talk”-like fashion, 20 speakers will speak to members of law enforcement in 20 minutes or less.
The goal?
“Ideas can change the world, and inspiration comes to us from a variety of people and places. When a collective group of professionals come together to share their experiences, passions and even untested but promising theories, a new form of learning takes place,” according to the Law Enforcement Intelligence Units’ (LEIU) 20/20 flier.
Lynn Edgington of Eagle Associates speaks in 2017 on “The New Face of Ponzis – The Crypto Currency Craze.”
Photo provided by the Westminster Police Department
“Every year, the presentations are different,” said Brian Gray, who works for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and is the Southwest Zone chairman for LEIU, which puts on the event taking place at the Montage Laguna Beach.
The event is set for 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 10 with an assortment of topics ranging from “Organized Crime/Criminal Intelligence/LEIU” and “Crypto Currency Craze and Ponzi Schemes” to “Operationalizing Augmented Reality for L.E. and Intelligence” to “21st Century Response to Active Shooters.”
“Every year it kind of takes on a theme,” Gray said, adding that this year seems to be heading toward cyber-crimes topics. “Law enforcement every year is changing.”
Westminster Police Department Commander Cameron Knauerhaze, a return speaker, will talk about “GRIT – The Lesser Known, But Essential Leadership Trait,” which will examine the determination required to succeed in the tough law enforcement environment.
Matthew Miller of San Diego LECC speaks in 2017 about “Grassroots Cybersecurity.”
Photo provided by the Westminster Police Department
Lynndel “Lynn” Edgington, president of Eagle Research Associates in Mission Viejo, which specializes in cyber-crime education for the public and as a resource to law enforcement, will be speaking about the “Crypto Currency Craze and Ponzi Schemes.”
“It is widely known that criminals love crypto-currencies because of their anonymity and ease of money laundering it provides them in the drug trade, human and children trafficking, and all forms of pornography, especially child pornography,” Edgington said. “Not to be left out of easy money, crypto-currencies have now become the hottest and newest forms of Ponzi cyber-crime to steal money. The dealing in fake crypto-currencies is the easiest way to steal money today in the cyber-crime world of Ponzis.”
Cpl. Jesse Blanpied of the Cal State University, Fullerton Police Department returns this year as a “20/20” speaker. This year, Blanpied is speaking about the “21st Century Response to Active Shooters.” Blanpied has been the Cal State University, Fullerton Police Department’s primary active shooter instructor since 2001.
Stephan Margolis of the Los Angeles Police Department speaks in 2017 about “The Lies We Tell Others, The Lies We Tell Ourselves.”
Photo provided by the Westminster Police Department
“The methods and motivations for these attacks have been changing as time progresses,” Blanpied said. “As we study these events we have to come up with solutions to address the threat, the incidents, and the aftermath. The more we study the past events, the better we can prepare to minimize or stop an attack before it happens. I believe the more we discuss not only the probabilities but possibility of the types and methods of events can we better counter them.”
Gray said the event is a way to share these types of important new ideas in a nonjudgemental setting and time-sensitive format.
“This is a place to come and safely do that,” Gray said. “It’s a sharing of ideas. It’s a sharing of best practices… Tell us what we need to know and call it a day.”
Interested members of law enforcement can register to attend the event at www.leiu.org. The price is $40 for those who work at an LEIU member agency and $55 for those from non-member agencies.
The Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence Units holds training for police and other law enforcement officers.
Image by Monica Edwards
