South Carolina
Law Enforcement Divers Association
March 28-29, 2012 Training Seminar
Law Enforcement Divers Association
March 28-29, 2012 Training Seminar
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Divers Association would like to invite you to attend out first training seminar in Columbia, South Carolina on March 28 through 29, 2012.
The goal of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Divers Association is to achieve safer diving for law enforcement professionals in South Carolina through education, training and the establishment of uniform safety standards.
When is the seminar? March 28 through 29, 2012. On-site registration begins on Wednesday at 0800 hrs. till 0900 hrs.
What topics will be included?
· 1996 ValuJet Flight 592 - recovery operations that occurred in the Florida everglades from the Dive Coordinator.
The making of an Underwater Criminal Investigator training and skill requirements for a true professional.
FBIs Anthrax Investigation and the Amerithrax Diving Operation It became one of the largest and most dangerous underwater criminal investigations ever conducted due to the conditions and the target of the search.
· 5-Phases of Body Motion The art of the Hunt.
· 2008 Fairfax County Virginia drowning. A search for one of our own and lessons learned
· The Forensic Investigation and the how tos of recovering metal objects for underwater evidence collection.
· Discussion of the 1994 Susan Smith Case and the recovery operations in Union County, South Carolina, the 1996 recovery operation in John D. Long lake where seven people drowned and other cases
· Learn about body decomposition underwater and the proper way to work the scene
· Coordination of a Multi-Agency Response during a Major Dive Operation
What is the cost of the seminar? Only $10.00 (Light refreshments will be provided, but lunch is on your own). There will also be drawings available to win door prizes including SCUBA gear.
Where will the seminar be held? Keenan High School Auditorium, 361 Pisgah Church Road, Columbia, SC 29203
How do I register? You may pre-register by filling out the attached Seminar Registration Form and mail it and a check for $10.00 payable to South Carolina Law Enforcement Divers Association, Attention Diana Freeman 226 Marshall Acres Drive, Summerville South Carolina 29483. You also can register at the door on March 28, 2012. If you decide to register at the door, please email our secretary Diana Freeman at Dfreeman@berkeleycountysc.gov as soon as possible with a head count so we can insure adequate spaces available.
How do I get there? Keenan High School is located at 361 Pisgah Church Road, Columbia, SC. Pisgah Church Road runs between Farrow Road (Hwy 555) and Wilson Blvd. (Hwy. 21). From I-20, travel North on Wilson Blvd, or Farrow Road. If you are coming from Farrow Road, turn left off of Pisgah Church Road at the first drive way on the left marked faculty, and student parking/Auditorium, If coming from Wilson Blvd. turn right at the last driveway marked faculty, and student parking/Auditorium. (See maps attached)
Who can attend? Public Safety Divers (Law Enforcement (local, State and Federal), Fire Department or Rescue Squads that dive for a law enforcement agency) and their support teams, Forensic Investigators, Criminal Investigators, Coroners, law enforcement officers, fire and EMS personnel that work with Public Safety Divers and Law Enforcement and Fire department Command Staff.
Where can I stay? Lexington Wingate by Wyndham
108 Saluda Pointe Court Lexington, SC 29072 #61 mile marker I-20 (See attached map)
Phone: 803-957-5000
Fax: 803-597-2480
Government rate: $85.00/night plus applicable taxes
Complimentary Breakfast 6:00AM - 9:00AM daily
Manager's Reception: M - Th, 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM; complimentary Hors doeuvres, tap beer and wine
Meet our Instructors:
· Forensic Death Investigator/Deputy Coroner Laura Grimes, Lexington County Coroners Office, Laura Grimes is a graduate of Lugoff-Elgin High School, and Kaplan University, with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, Associates Degree in Public Service, Laura worked for the Lexington County Sheriffs Department for ten years, five years as a patrol officer and School Resource Officer and five years as a Crime Scene Investigator. Ms. Grimes was employed with the Lexington County Coroners Office in November 2009 as a Deputy Coroner serving as their Forensic Death Investigator. She is a Registered Medicolegal Death Investigator with the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators, Laura is Past-President of the South Carolina International Association of Identification, Member the International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners and Board member for the Scientific Working Group for Medicolegal Death Investigators.
· Lieutenant Tim Baxley, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Lt. Baxley started his Law Enforcement career on Feb. 17, 1985 as a Trooper for the South Carolina Highway Patrol. In 1988 he was assigned the newly formed task force known as the Governors' Raid Team at SLED. In 1989, he joined the SC Wildlife and Marine Resources Dept., now known as SC Dept. of Natural Resources. Lt. Baxley started on the Aquatic Investigations and Recovery Team with the Dept. in 1990. During the summers of 1998, 99 and 2000 Lt. Baxley traveled throughout the United States as a guest speaker for US Divers Co. at their Public Safety Diving Seminars. In 2000, he was named the NASBLA Southern States Law Enforcement Boating Officer of the year in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In April of 2009, he was promoted to Lieutenant in Region 3 which is Sumter, Clarendon, Richland, Lexington, Newberry, Saluda, Barnwell, Bamberg, Allendale, Orangeburg, Calhoun and Aiken Counties.
· Investigator/Firearms Expert David Collins, Richland County Sheriffs Department, Inv. Collins graduated The Citadel in 1984. In 1990 he worked as a firearms examiner at the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) until 2002. In 2002 Inv. Collins went to the Richland County Sheriffs Department as a firearms examiner and technical leader of the firearm section of the laboratory. He is court qualified as a firearms examiner in South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, U.S. (Federal) courts, and the military court system. Inv. Collins has testified in over 250 violent crime cases in South Carolina and is a former member of the Richland County Sheriffs Department Underwater Recovery Unit.
· 2nd Lieutenant Lance Schaible, Fairfax County Police Department Virginia Dive Team, Lt. Lance Schaible is a 19 year veteran of the Fairfax County Police Department. He has served in Patrol as a Patrol Officer, a Bike Team Officer, and Patrol Supervisor. He has also served in a Criminal Investigations capacity as a Narcotics Detective and has supervised the Property Crimes, Financial Crimes, Child Abuse and Cold Case Squads. Lt. Schaible has been a Dive Team member since 1996 in both a Diver and Supervisory role. He took a 4 year break from the team and returned as the Team Leader in 2008 to present. He is currently the supervisor in charge of the Dive Team, the Marine Patrol Unit and the Bomb Squad. Lt Schaible also served 8 years in the U.S Coast Guard Reserve as a Boatswain Mate before entering the police department.
· Michael Gast, Miami Dade, Florida Police Dive Team, is an active police diver. He has extensive experience, with over 20 years as a full-time police diver. He has personally been involved in more than 5,000 underwater recovery andinvestigation operations. He was the Dive Coordinator for the recovery efforts of ValuJet Flight 592 in 1996. Michael is the founder and president of the National Academy of Police Diving.
· 1st Sergeant Mike Berry, Virginia State Police, Mike serves as their Operations Coordinator for their Special Response Team (SRT). He has over 31 years of experience in public safety diving and has conducted over 1500 underwater criminal investigations. As a highly recognized and certified Master Underwater Criminal Investigator and Master Public Safety Diver Instructor Trainer, Mike uses his experience to help others succeed and survive the challenges of Public Safety Diving. Mike has had the honor of being called upon to lead some of the largest and most dangerous underwater criminal investigations in the world including the FBIs Amerithrax Diving Operation and the Virginia Tech. Massacre Diving Operation. Mike owns and operates Underwater Criminal Investigators (UCI) which is a training company that specializes in training and certifying Underwater Criminal Investigators from around the world. With its performance based teaching methods, UCI has become the leader in law enforcement dive training and is the only training company that offers the coveted Master Public Safety Diver and Master Underwater Criminal Investigator licenses.
UCI is devoted to helping public safety divers and offers free in-depth PSD information, pictures, forms, charts and more on its website www.ucidiver.com which is the largest PSD website in the world. Mike has written numerous magazine articles relating to public safety diving and is the author of The Waters Edge which is a manual on underwater criminal investigation techniques and The Public Safety Diver, Basic Essentials. Mike is also the creator of PADIs (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) new Public Safety Diver program.
Seminar Registration Form is an attachment in the e-mail and maps are located in the Seminar Invitation, which is attached.
Lt. Mark A. McColman
Richland County Sheriff's Department
Underwater Recovery and Marine Patrol Unit
5623 Two Notch Road
Columbia SC 29223
Hq: 803-576-3000
Office: 803-419-4879
www.rcsd.net
