August 9, 2010

News Release

Pratt County Sheriff Vernon Chinn attends 2010 National Summit for Small Law Enforcement Agencies.

The United States Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and the Small, Rural, Tribal and Border Regional Center (SRTBRC) conducted the 2010 National Summit for Small Law Enforcement Agencies at Fort Myers, Florida, August 3-5, 2010.  The summit targeted small or rural law enforcement agencies with less than 50 sworn officers.

The purposes of the Summit were to educate the attendees on the resources and technical assistance available from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), obtain input from the practitioners on NIJ research priorities, identify the major problems facing small and rural agencies, and collect information for the completion of a report that can help guide funding and research for these unique agencies.

Sheriff Chinn participated with approximately 40 chiefs and sheriff’s in this informative and innovative event.  Some topics of discussion were communications, recruiting quality officers, records/dispatch issues, less lethal technologies, funding, forensics, and numerous other items.  One of the most beneficial parts of the Summit was interaction with contemporaries.  “I found that other departments are facing the same issues that we encounter and that there are some solutions out there.  It was also refreshing to know that NIJ and SRTBRC wanted input from the practitioners on what we needed to do our job.”

The Summit was funded by NIJ in a cooperative agreement with SRTBRC which managed the event.  There was no cost to the participants and their agencies.  Participants were selected from across the United Sates primarily due to their recognized roles as leaders in the small and rural law enforcement community.