Association News

By Sue Riseling, Executive Director

You’ve probably heard the Association referred to as IACLEA 2.0. I want to ensure you are aware of one of the most significant recent changes in IACLEA’s “rebooting.”

IACLEA’s previous membership model provided Association membership benefits to one individual at the member institution, the institutional representative who is typically the head of the police department or public safety agency.  A few years ago, the Board of Directors decided that when an institution joins, the institutional representative can select up to six additional staff to be full-fledged IACLEA members. That equates to seven members for the price of one.  Additionally, ALL staff at member institutions can attend trainings, conferences, etc. for the member price. The decision to extend member benefits beyond chiefs and directors demonstrates the Association’s commitment to grow the professionalism and increase preparedness at all our member agencies.

[To confirm or update the agency personnel on your IACLEA roster, please log onto IACLEA CONNECTIONS and make updates directly. Or contact us via info@iaclea.org for assistance.]

IACLEA has also made valuable programmatic changes to enhance Association educational offerings. The Association now has an Investigators Section for sworn and non-sworn staff.  The section holds periodic webinars and other training targeted to their specific work.  From July 30–August 1, IACLEA will hold the College and University Police and Investigators Conference (CUPIC).  This unique conference is specifically related to investigations involving higher education and those occurring on campuses.  The registration fee is only $100 for three days of outstanding training. 

To serve the broader membership, IACLEA created the Public Information Officers (PIO) Section.  Many member institutions are not large enough to have full-time PIOs.  Sometimes these important duties are given to a staff member as “other duties as assigned.”  This section helps those assigned to conduct this work but have little to no background in public affairs.  Members of the section who are full-time PIOs offer their insights and experience. 

It's easy to join.

The training program continues to grow and develop.  The well-established Executive Development Institute filled up rapidly in 2019—a testament to how popular and beneficial this course is for developing future leaders and supporting current leaders.  Our inaugural First-Line Supervisor Institute was sold out.  Held in January (2019), the feedback from participants is overwhelmingly positive. READ ABOUT IT.

Our shared federal $7 million grant, the Collaborative Reform Initiative-Technical Assistance Center (CRI-TAC), is in its second year.  We are proud that per capita IACLEA has generated the most referrals of all the CRI-TAC partners.  This is essentially FREE staff training in a variety of areas. It is truly a great opportunity that is open to non-sworn and sworn agencies.   Check out the CRI-TAC page on the IACLEA website.  And read about the great de-escalation training that CRI-TAC grant funding made possible at North Carolina State University.

IACLEA offers additional trainings “on request” and will work with any department to help you receive the training you need for a reasonable price.  More information can be found on our website. 

In these days of tight budgets, making use of your full range of IACLEA membership benefits makes financial sense and enriches the work experience for your staff.  You have paid for it—use it!