APD Annual Reports - 2019 Annual Report | Page 28

National Expertise & Best Practices Police Chief Will Johnson serves as the Vice President at Large for the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). He oversees the IACP Emerging Issues Policy Council which looks at best practices and publishes guidance to law enforcement organizations. He was also appointed to serve on the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA) Executive Board. Lt. Christopher Cook, the current Vice President of the National Information Officers Association (NIOA), leads two additional organizations on the communications front. He was appointed as the Chair for the Public Information Officers Committee in July 2018 for the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA). The MCCA represents the 78 largest police agencies across the United States and Canada. Lt. Cook also was appointed as the Regional Vice Chair for Texas and surrounding states for the International Association of Chiefs of Police – Public Information Officers Section after completing a 3-year term as the General Chair. Police Chief Will Johnson received an exclusive invitation to attend the 10-year anniversary of the Shepard/Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act Forum in Washington D.C. in October. The Department of Justice is working the department on expanding hate crimes training originally developed by Arlington to be shared nationally. Deputy Chief Tarrick McGuire presided over an IACP panel, funded by the National Institute of Justice, as a national research project related to secondary trauma in police departments and communities anchored by mental health issues. The Texas Police Chiefs Association formed a Violent Crime Committee and appointed Police Chief Will Johnson as the Chair. The Committee is collaborating with Texas agencies on a variety of topics related to firearms, mental health and keeping communities safe. Lt. Christopher Cook presented contem- porary training topics to MCCA in 2019 and created the first-ever dedicated 8-hour training day for public information officers. This event hosted communications professionals from MCCA agencies including Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Houston, and other major cities. 28 | 2019 Annual Report Assistant Chief Kevin Kolbye presented a topic at IACP on the use and integration of unmanned aerial systems in support of law enforcement operations. Arlington’s program was highlighted including best practices on protecting the privacy rights of all individuals. Lt. Christopher Cook was a co-presenter on this topic.