Breakout Sessions

AI and Cyber-Enabled Fraud

Presented By: United States Federal Bureau of Investigations

This presentation will be broken down in two segments. The first segment will discuss A.I. and the age of misinformation, the challenges of finding the truth in the modern world. The second segment will discuss current trends in fraud, how to prevent victimization, and what to do if victimized. Learning about these important topics will help keep you and your loved ones safe as bad actors utilize modern technology to steal your time, money, and information.

Animal Assisted Interventions: Therapy, Crisis Response, and Facility Dogs

Presented By: American Medical Response

This session explores how animal-assisted interventions can enhance wellness programs through therapy dogs, crisis response canines, and facility dogs. Participants will learn the differences between these roles, practical steps for implementation, and key considerations for sustainability, funding, and handler responsibilities. Real-world examples and a live demonstration will highlight best practices for integrating animals into support and recovery efforts across diverse settings.

Behind the Headlines: Practical Tools and Hard Lessons from Child Fatality Investigations

Presented By: Garrett Therolf

In this interactive session, Garrett Therolf will move beyond the headlines to share practical, lesser-known findings from California’s child fatality cases. Together, we’ll explore how court filings have reshaped the discretion that social workers have on child abuse cases. We’ll also discuss lesser-known mechanisms in state law and regulation that allow mandated reporters and other stakeholders to better protect children. This session is designed for dialogue: participants will have the opportunity to share lessons from the front lines—what has worked, what hasn’t, and what professionals wish reporters and policymakers better understood. Attendees will leave with concrete tools, legal references, and a clearer picture of how systems succeed and fail when children’s lives are at stake.

Campus Tour with the Campus Engineer

Presented By: UC Merced

Take a behind-the-scenes look at campus safety and infrastructure on a guided tour led by the campus engineer. This interactive session will highlight building systems, emergency features, and resiliency measures that support daily operations and crisis response. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how facilities planning, maintenance, and engineering play a critical role in creating a safe, sustainable, and prepared campus environment.

Clery Compliance and Hazing: Strengthening Campus Safety and Accountability

Presented By: James Moore, Critical Arc

This session examines the intersection of Clery Act compliance and hazing prevention, two critical areas of campus safety and federal reporting. Participants will gain clarity on institutional responsibilities under the Clery Act, including timely warnings, annual security reporting, and crime classification. The session will also address the growing challenge of hazing, exploring how incidents are identified, documented, and communicated within compliance frameworks. Using case studies and practical tools, attendees will leave with strategies to strengthen prevention efforts, ensure accurate reporting, and foster safer, more transparent campus environments.

Crisis Communications: Insights from the Newsroom

Presented By: Jessica Harrington, ABC 30

In a crisis, how information is communicated can shape public trust, organizational reputation, and community response. In this session, a seasoned news anchor shares firsthand perspectives on how the media approaches breaking news, what journalists need from organizations in high-pressure situations, and common pitfalls that can escalate a crisis. Participants will gain practical strategies for crafting clear messages, building relationships with the press, and delivering timely updates that resonate with both media and the public.

Examining the Behavioral Background of the Marysville Pilchuck High School Attacker

Presented By: United States Secret Service - National Threat Assessment Center

This case study utilizes the Systems Approach based on an attacker who perpetrated the 2014 school attack at Marysville Pilchuck High School in Marysville, WA. The Systems Approach is an effective way to gather information as part of a threat assessment, as it identifies sources (e.g., law enforcement, employment, community, family, etc.) that may have information on the individual of concern’s actions, stressors, changes in their life, and behaviors that may have concerned others. In utilizing post attack interviews and open-source information, this case provides a plethora of information about the attacker in the weeks and days leading up to the attack. The information collected from the attacker’s systems provide insight as his feelings, thoughts, and behaviors grew more concerning in the week before the attack. Additionally, this case highlights the importance of collecting information from multiple sources and corroborating the information, as some sources had contradictory information (e.g., some observed nothing out of the ordinary with the attacker, whereas others stated they noticed significant changes in his actions and thoughts). When gathering information for a threat assessment, it is essential for public safety professionals to be able to identify these systems, use their training and knowledge on the best information to collect, and recognize potential opportunities of support within these systems.

Mass Attacks at Entertainment Venues: A Case Study Comparison in Planning, Targeting, and Pre-Attack Behavioral Change

Presented By: United States Secret Service - National Threat Assessment Center

This presentation examines the pre-attack behaviors of attackers targeting high profile entertainment venues that were studied in NTAC’s Mass Attacks in Public Spaces, 2016-2020. The presentation will cover the attacker’s planning behaviors, including weapons and gear acquisition and research; targeting behaviors, including location and victim selection; and the behavioral changes exhibited by each attacker before their attack, including changes in appearance, mental well-being, and social behaviors. The presentation will include a discussion of key takeaways for violence prevention founded in NTAC’s research.

Online Child Exploitation: A Law Enforcement Perspective

Presented By: Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office

Investigators from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Cyber Crime Section will present lessons learned in real world cases of online child exploitation, trafficking of Child Sexual Abuse Materials, and victimization of our youth.

Positioning Your BIT Program as a Responsive Resource

Presented By: Monique Mendoza, MM Psychological & Solutions

This presentation covers essential practices for campus-based Behavioral Intervention Teams across all educational settings. Learn to proactively identify, assess, and address behavioral concerns while developing your program as an effective campus resource. Explore case intake processes, incident routing, stakeholder communication, and de-escalation strategies through real-world scenarios and guided discussions.

By the end of these sessions, attendees will be able to:

• Identify essential elements and evaluate the effectiveness of campus behavioral intervention teams
• Establish clear reporting policies and distinguish between classroom management and disruptive behavior
• Implement best practices, develop internal toolkits, and enhance collaboration to support student well-being
• Effectively intake, triage, and route cases while communicating with concerned parties

Reinventing School-Based Mental Health After Disaster: A Case Study of Paradise Unified

Presented By: Paradise Unified School District

School districts play a vital role in addressing the complex and evolving needs of communities experiencing trauma. Following the devastating wildfire that destroyed much of Paradise, California, including eight of the district’s nine schools, Paradise Unified School District (PUSD), in collaboration with countywide response efforts, acted swiftly to support students, staff, and families. Guided by empathy, PUSD worked to remove barriers impacting all aspects of life within its capacity.

From the morning of November 8, 2018, the district operated in triage mode—transitioning from immediate crisis response to long-term recovery. Efforts included embedding mental health clinicians and wellness coaches in schools and establishing a districtwide Health and Wellness Resource Center to serve students and families. These initiatives reflect PUSD’s ongoing commitment to fostering resilience, healing, and well-being in the aftermath of unprecedented loss.

Understanding Human Trafficking: A Victim Centered Approach

Presented By: Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office and Los Angles Police Department

This session provides a comprehensive overview of domestic commercial sex trafficking, with a focus on dispelling common myths and highlighting the realities of this hidden crime. Participants will explore the types of commercial sex activity and trafficking, learn to recognize potential indicators, and gain insight into the terminology, symbols, and rules used within the pimping subculture.

The session will also address how traffickers recruit, groom, and brand victims through manipulation and isolation, as well as the overlap between human trafficking and other crimes such as domestic violence, kidnapping, and sexual assault.

Attendees will discuss the critical role of NGOs and community resources, the importance of a victim-centered approach for first responders and mandated reporters, and best practices for interviewing versus interrogation. Finally, the session will cover methods of corroborating statements and evidence to support successful trafficking investigations.

Vulnerability Assessments for School Facilities

Presented By: Central California Intelligence Center

This session will provide participants with an overview of the basic concepts used in conducting basic non-regulatory assessments for K-12 Schools. The same concepts are the foundation of the 8-hour course that combines facilitated conversation and an actual assessment walk through. Vulnerability assessments assist school security stakeholders in identifying vulnerabilities and offering mitigation options to enhance security and protection of staff, visitors and students.

Wonders and Dangers of Artificial Intelligence

Presented By: UC Merced

AI is disrupting society faster than any prior technology and challenging us with unprecedented opportunities and dangers. In this talk, I will explain AI enough to appreciate what we know and don’t know about how it works, and where it might be going. We’ll consider current and future dangers of AI with special attention to higher education and safety.