OPENING SESSION
Welcome/ILEAS Update
2024 Democratic National Convention Debrief
Executive Director Larry Evans
Statewide Intelligence Update
Aaron Kustermann
Time: 9:00 am-12:00 pm (Diamond/Emerald Ballroom)
Following a welcome and ILEAS Update, attendees will hear from Larry Snelling, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, on the DNC and how mutual aid played a significant role in its success.
The second half of the session will be an intelligence briefing by Aaron Kustermann on current threats facing public safety and law enforcement in Illinois. The presentation will also provide an overview of national and international events and their potential impacts to Illinois, as well as a forecasting of events and challenges public safety could face in the future.
Larry Snelling was sworn in as the 64th Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department in September 2023. Having been raised in Chicago, coupled with his three decades of experience within CPD, Superintendent Snelling has a strong knowledge of the city and its public safety needs. As Superintendent, his priorities focus on building community trust and strengthening wellness and professionalism for all CPD members so they can best serve the people of Chicago.
Throughout his career at CPD, he served in multiple areas. Prior to being appointed Superintendent, he was the Chief of the Bureau of Counterterrorism. As Chief, he oversaw long-term gangs and narcotics investigations targeting those driving violence in Chicago’s neighborhoods. He was also responsible for specialized units that include SWAT, the Marine Unit, the Mounted Unit and the Bomb Squad.
Before heading the Bureau of Counterterrorism, Superintendent Snelling served in the Bureau of Patrol as the Deputy Chief of Area 2. He previously served as Commander of the 7th (Englewood) District, where he was a Watch Operations Lieutenant. Throughout this time, Superintendent Snelling worked to build strong relationships and partnerships in the community.
Superintendent Snelling also spent a large portion of his career in the Training & Support Group preparing police recruits as they began their careers at CPD. He was a Sergeant in the Physical Skills Section and the Operations Section Sergeant for recruit training at the Police Academy.
As an expert on the Department’s use of force policies, Superintendent Snelling redesigned their current force training model around national best practices and constitutional policing. He has also testified as an expert in federal use of force cases. Additionally, Superintendent Snelling was a lead trainer for field force training for the 2012 Chicago NATO Summit.
Superintendent Snelling holds a bachelor’s degree in adult education from DePaul University.
Aaron Kustermann has served as the Illinois State Police Chief Intelligence Officer since 2009. Aaron serves on a number of national executive and advisory boards on matters of technology and intelligence. He holds a Master’s Degree in National Security Studies from the Naval Postgraduate School.
BREAKOUT SESSION
Artificial Intelligence and Law Enforcement
Joe Pannullo
Time: 1:15 pm-2:45 pm (Ruby Ballroom)
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become an essential part of not only many law enforcement organizations, but of the entire world in many aspects. When used effectively, these tools provide actionable insights and can be very valuable. However, with most things created for good, comes the dark side that criminals utilize to engage in illegal activities. This session will provide attendees with an informed perspective on AI and how it can be used against law enforcement.
Joe Pannullo retired from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, where he worked for 22 years. During his last 18 years he was a Detective assigned to the Narcotics Section, working on the Clandestine Lab Team and Street Level Narcotics Team. He was also sworn Federal Task Force Officer (TFO) assigned to a DEA Task Force for five years. Joe is currently a Level 1 Reserve Deputy with the Gem County Sheriff’s Department where he joined in 2019.
Joe worked undercover for 10 years on the Street Team dealing with low and mid-level dealers, and on the DEA Task Force working undercover with mainly Cartel Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTO). He is a certified expert witness for clandestine drug labs, undercover operations, and general narcotics-related operations.
At the beginning of 2012, Joe was selected to become one of only 12 members of LVMPD’s Crisis Negotiator Team and served on that team until his retirement. During his tenure as a Narcotic Investigator and a Crisis Negotiator, Joe learned various methods to exploit social media websites and smartphone applications to gather intelligence on the targets of his investigations and the subjects that he was negotiating with. Based on these experiences, Joe began teaching Social Media Investigations for LVMPD and other agencies in the surrounding area. He retired from LVMPD to pursue his passion for teaching and training other law enforcement personnel.
Joe received numerous awards and accommodations to include the Medal of Honor, Meritorious Service Award, and the Life Saving Award. In 2014, he was chosen for the Red Ribbon Narcotics Detective of the Decade Award, which is named in honor of DEA Agent Kiki Camarena killed in the line of duty.
BREAKOUT SESSION
Anhydrous Ammonia Accident in Teutopolis
Steve Bennett, Joe Holomy & Tim McMahon
Time: 3:00 pm-4:30 pm (Ruby Ballroom)
On the evening of September 29, 2023, the Teutopolis Fire Protection District was dispatched to a motor vehicle accident on US Route 40 near the Village of Teutopolis. Initial dispatch information included an 18-year old having difficulty breathing. However, the incident quickly evolved into a Hazardous Materials accident with the release of anhydrous ammonia from an overturned tanker, resulting in five fatalities and the evacuation of the Village.
Steve Bennett retired as Fire Chief in 2024 from the Charleston Fire Department, where he served for 25 years. He started his career in emergency service in 1993 as an EMT, later obtaining his Paramedic xxx and working for a number of agencies including ambulance services, Coles County 911, and the Lincoln Fire Protection District. After his retirement, Steve became the Interim Community Development Director for the City of Charleston, and now serves Charleston as Deputy City Manager.
Steve has a Bachelor’s of Science and a Bachelor’s of Fire Science degree, and holds many certifications including Chief Fire Officer from the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office. He served as the MABAS Division 26 President and was a member of the MABAS FILO Steering Committee, Champaign Region 6 Health Care Coalition, Coles County LEPC, Lakeland College EMS Advisory Committee, and the MABAS Foundation Advisory Board.
Joe Holomy began his career in fire service in 1976 as a volunteer firefighter in the southwest suburbs of Chicago. He worked up through the paid ranks as a Firefighter/Paramedic, Engineer, Lieutenant and Deputy Chief, becoming Chief in 2001 until his retirement in 2018. Joe joined Teutopolis Fire Protection District as a Volunteer Assistant Chief after retiring and served as the Incident Commander during the 2023 anhydrous ammonia incident. He currently works full time for Office of the State Fire Marshal as a Field Supervisor with Personnel Standards and Education.
Joe holds numerous state certifications from the Office of the State Fire Marshal Personnel Standards and a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration. He is a graduate of the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and is designated as a Chief Fire Officer with the Center for Public Safety Excellence. He has served as an instructor for numerous fire academies and fire officer training programs at junior colleges. Joe is a recipient of several unit citations and awards to include one for Valor and the Illinois Police Association Citizen Award. He is the current Secretary of MABAS-IL, Board member of the Illinois Fire Service Institute and of the Homeland Security Advisory Commission (previously the ITTF).
Tim McMahon began in the fire service in 1986 as a volunteer firefighter with the Teutopolis Fire Protection District, working his way up through the ranks to become Chief in 2003. He served as the Operations Chief and the Public Information Officer (PIO) at the anhydrous ammonia incident in 2023. Chief McMahon holds numerous state certifications from the Office of the State Fire Marshal Personnel Standards and has served as an instructor for numerous fire academies.
He is highly respected within the community and has been the recipient of several recognitions over the years. Chief McMahon has served on numerous local committees and most recently had oversight of a county wide eight site simulcast radio system for all of the Fire Districts within Effingham County. He is a long-standing member of the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association and previously served as Chairman of the MABAS 54 Training Committee.
BANQUET
Tim Sinclair
Time: 6:00 pm-8:00 pm (Diamond/Emerald Ballroom)
Following dinner, enjoy the voice and the stories from Tim Sinclair – an award-winning radio and television personality. Tim has made a name for himself over nearly two decades as the public address announcer for the Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Fire, and Illinois Fighting Illini. His voice is synonymous with big-time sporting events including four NBA All-Star weekends, NBA 2K, the B1G Football Championship Game, and NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Tim is the voice of IHSA "March Madness”, and shared the mic at the 2020 NBA and WNBA "bubbles," 2019 Gold Cup Final, NBA India Games, 2017 MLS All-Star Game, and two ESPN Champions Classics. Beyond sports, you'll hear Tim in projects for companies including McDonald's, Audi, and Make-A-Wish... and on dozens of audiobooks. In 2024, Tim starred in a national State Farm television ad called "Bull", featuring Benny the Bull and Jake from State Farm.
BREAKOUT SESSION
Missing Person? Successful Techniques, Tips and Resources
Kimberly Gotte
Time: 9:00 am-10:25 am (Plaza A)
In a missing person incident, whether urban or wilderness, there are proven techniques to help make searches more successful. It might be searching for a person based on their situation or if they’re endangered with certain medical conditions, or using a proven resource in the right order for a successful outcome. This session will explore the variety of resources available and how to obtain, request and utilize them.
Kimberly Gotte has been involved in search and rescue since 1975. Born and raised in Colorado and owning horses, search and rescue came as a natural way to spend her volunteer time. She has been involved in ground, mounted and ATV search and rescue in Colorado, Arizona, Texas and now Illinois. Kimberly has been involved extensively in survival, navigation, search management and other aspects of search and rescue throughout the years.
Kimberly has worked with the Illinois Search and Rescue Council since 2008, and is currently the Section Chief - Search and Rescue at Kendall County. Their organization continues to grow, developing a comprehensive multi-agency training schedule and bringing together many agencies to learn new skills and reinforce old ones. In addition, they have strengthened their relationships with law enforcement, fire, and emergency management to serve the communities’ search and rescue needs.
Kimberly is a member of Wilmington ESDA as a K9 handler, drone pilot and training officer. She is an instructor of Navigation, Ground Search and Rescue, Search Management, and Lost Person Behavior. While all of this experience has nothing to do with her daily job as a product design engineer, it is a passion that takes a lot of time to perfect and to keep learning about the subject.
BREAKOUT SESSION
ILEAS Overview
ILEAS Staff
Time: 10:35 am-12:00 pm (Plaza A)
This presentation will offer a detailed overview of the ILEAS organization. Staff members will cover ILEAS programs and areas of focus, such as special teams, communications, the mutual aid model and requesting mutual aid.
The session is for new ILEAS members or attendees who want to know more about how the ILEAS motto – “Strength Through Cooperation” – is put into action.
BREAKOUT SESSION
SAFE-T Act: Law Enforcement’s Responsibility and the Role of ILETSB
Anthony Cobb, Pat Hahn and Paul Petty
Times: 9:00 am-10:25 am and 10:35 am-12:00 pm (Plaza B)
This session will discuss the implementation of the SAFE-T Act focusing on what law enforcement and administrations need and can expect from the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB). The presentation will cover officer training waivers, officer reactivations, ILETSB investigations, decertification, training mandates, MTU’s, LETM and LEDI monitoring as well as the Officer Portal.
Anthony Cobb is a native of the Champaign-Urbana community. He started his law enforcement career in 1992 with the Urbana Police Department (UPD) where he would spend 20 years serving the citizens of Urbana. He progressed through the ranks, from police officer to the position of Assistant Chief of Police, and was one of a few officers who received an opportunity to work in all four divisions of the agency: Patrol; Investigations; Support Services and Administration.
In March of 2012, he retired from UPD in order to accept the position as Chief of Police with the City of Champaign. He was instrumental in implementing community engagement, use of force reviews and body cameras prior to the SAFE-T Act. Chief Cobb served the citizens of Champaign for almost 10 years before accepting his current position as a Deputy Director for ILETSB. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, mentoring youth, coaching and volunteering in his community.
Pat Hahn is an attorney with over 30 years of experience in both civil and criminal litigation in state and federal courts. He is a former Crawford and Wayne County Assistant State’s Attorney, former Lawrence County State’s Attorney, and former Special Prosecutor with the State’s Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor’s Office. Pat has served ILETSB since 2011 in several capacities, including Manager of In-Service Training, General Counsel and now as Chief Certification Counsel and Ethics Officer.
Paul Petty serves as the In-Service Manager of Training for ILETSB. He is a 28+ year veteran of the law enforcement profession which began after his 4½ year service in the United States Navy. Paul served as a Special Agent for the West Central Illinois Drug Task Force, and as Deputy Sheriff for three years prior to being elected Sheriff of Pike County in 1998. Paul served as Sheriff and Coroner for 20 years before retiring in 2018. Following his retirement, he served as a School Resource Officer and A.L.I.C.E. instructor for Pikeland Unit 10 in Pittsfield and taught Intro to Policing, Ethics, and The Militarization of Police at Illinois College in Jacksonville. Paul returned to the law enforcement arena in April of 2021 as a Special Agent with the Illinois Gaming Board before becoming ILETSB’s In-Service Manager of Training in December of 2021.
BREAKOUT SESSION
Line of Duty Death Benefits
J.C. Paez
Time: 9:00 am-10:25 am (Plaza C/D)
On average two to three officers die in the line of duty every week, and even more are severely injured. This session is designed to provide a comprehensive list of available benefits following a line of duty death or catastrophic injury, and the application requirements. The information presented is essential to ensure surviving family members are taken care of following the loss or catastrophic injury of an officer.
Chief J.C. Paez began his law enforcement career as a Military Police Officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. His primary assignment was as a member of the Special Response Team on Camp Lejeune, NC where he taught firearms and tactics to civilian and military SWAT teams. In August 2014, he joined the Waubonsee Campus Police Department after a 26-year career with the Hoffman Estates Police Department. During his tenure he served on the Use of Force Training Unit, the Honor Guard Unit, and as the Special Services Division Commander.
For the last 20 years, he has served on the Northern Illinois Critical Incident Stress Management Team providing in-service training and debriefing services for numerous police departments following line of duty deaths, officer suicides, and other traumatic incidents. Chief Paez has served as a guest speaker for numerous associations and also taught and coordinated the BowMac Critical Incident Response course for the Northern Illinois Police Alarm System (NIPAS) region.
Chief Paez possesses a Master of Science Degree in Managerial Leadership from National Louis University, is a graduate of the F.B.I. National Academy and the Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command. He currently serves as the Past President on the Advisory Board of Directors for North East Multi-Regional Training. He has also served as a criminal justice instructor with Kaplan University.
BREAKOUT SESSION
Critical Incident Stress Management
J.C. Paez
Time: 10:35 am-12:00 pm (Plaza C/D)
Stress is an expected part of the emergency service profession and is routinely managed on a day-to-day basis. However, critical incident stress can produce reactions which may interfere with or overwhelm an officer's ability to function or cope. This session is designed to provide law enforcement professionals with an understanding of critical incident stress, signs, symptoms, ways to manage it and available free resources.
(See Chief Paez’s bio above)
BREAKOUT SESSION
Planning and Operational Considerations for Managing Special Events
Scott Thorsen
Time: 9:00 am-10:25 pm (Ruby Ballroom)
This session will provide an overview of various special events, ranging from small to large-scale multi-day events. Topics will include pre-event planning, threat assessments, coordinating resources and mutual aid.
Scott Thorsen retired in 2024 as a Sergeant from the Naperville Police Department after nearly 24 years. During that time, he worked a variety of assignments in both the Patrol and Investigations Divisions. Scott was a member of the ILEAS Mobile Field Force 3 Central Team for eight years and finished his career as Naperville PD’s Special Events and Criminal Intelligence Unit Supervisor. He is currently the ILEAS Regional Planning Coordinator for northern Cook, Lake and McHenry Counties.
BREAKOUT SESSION
Utilizing a Multijurisdictional Quick Response Force to Combat Street Takeovers
Shawn Green
Time: 10:35 am-12:00 pm (Ruby Ballroom)
Unauthorized car meetups, street takeovers, drag racing, drifting and vehicle sideshows are activities that involve the gathering of car enthusiasts and their vehicles in public spaces such as parking lots, industrial areas, and public roadways. These events often feature high-speed driving, stunts and reckless behavior, and have been associated with a range of negative outcomes including accidents, injuries, property damage and disturbance of the peace. Utilization of Quick Response Force protocols for short notice or "pop-up" car meet activities, particularly when those activities rapidly move throughout several jurisdictions, have proven highly effective in combatting street takeovers in the northwest suburbs.
Shawn Green is a 27-year law enforcement veteran and the current Chief of Police for the Village of West Dundee. He is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, the FBI National Academy (session 262), Northwestern University's School of Police Staff and Command, and the National Emergency Management Advanced Academy. Shawn previously served with the Village of Schaumburg, where he retired as Deputy Police Chief. He has presented on various topics including crisis response and intervention, leadership, strategic planning, mass violence awareness and prevention, flash mobs and street takeovers, and incident command.
CLOSING SESSION
Taking Care of Our Own
Chris Prochut
Time: 1:00 pm-3:00 pm (Diamond/Emerald Ballroom)
Starting with a discussion of suicide and depression warning signs, this session will examine the paradigm shift taking place within law enforcement and others in the "helping community" in which it is becoming increasingly okay to ask for help. Addressed will be the topics of stigma, the “suck it up” attitude, the "I’m Fine" façade, and the myth that seeking help is a sign of weakness - all culminating with one simple solution: TALK!
Chris Prochut is a mental health advocate and law enforcement suicide prevention trainer. For over 12 years, he has had the honor to present to more than 16,000 law enforcement officers across the United States and Canada on the topics of suicide and depression warning signs, medication myths, and department policy revision, as well has his personal experience with the stigma of mental health issues. Chris has presented at many National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) organized Crisis Intervention Team Trainings (CIT) and has been featured at various law enforcement conferences advising departments on program development to assist officers at risk for suicide.
Chris served for 10 years as member of the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Death Response (LEDR) Team, is a former trainer in QPR (Question, Persuade, and Refer) suicide prevention program, an FBI National Academy (FBINA) Enrichment Speaker, an FBINA Associates Officer Safety and Wellness Committee Member, and an active volunteer with BringChange2Mind - an organization founded by actress Glenn Close to end the stigma surrounding mental illness.
Chris was recognized with the 2017 HOPES Award for his achievements in advancing suicide prevention in law enforcement by Mental Health America - Wisconsin. In 2018, Chris was presented with a NAMI Wisconsin Iris Award for his outstanding contributions, dedication and support to promote the mission and vision of their organization. In 2024, Chris was recognized by NAMI - Southeast Wisconsin with the "Shattering Stigma" award for his unwavering efforts to show that reaching out for help is a sign of strength and to promote open conversation surrounding mental health within law enforcement.
Chris resides in Hartford, Wisconsin with his wife Jennifer and their children Chase (21) and Ashlyn (17).