Birmingham, Alabama, nestled in the rolling foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, is a vibrant and fascinating city. It is no wonder Newsweek magazine named it “One of America’s Top 10 Cities.” The Commission was truly fortunate to have its Spring Conference at this locale. The Birmingham Police Department was the conference host and they were spectacular in showing what “Southern Hospitality” is all about. The Thursday night function at the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame (ASHOF) was an event to remember. Chef Clayton Sherrod prepared a “Taste of the South” dinner buffet that was superb, and the ASHOF exhibits were both informative and entertaining. Special thanks to Birmingham’s Chief of Police Annetta Nunn and her committee, co-chaired by Captain Faye Lampkin and Lieutenant James Summers, for all of their hard work in hosting the conference and putting together a grand reception.

The conference began on Wednesday morning, and first on the agenda was the Opening Session, where Commission President James O’Dell made opening remarks to the over 700 in attendance. Next, the Birmingham Police Department Color Guard, assisted by bagpiper Charles Smith, ably handled the posting of the colors, and Lieutenant LarFaree King-Little provided a stirring rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. After the Ecumenical Prayer by Birmingham Police Department Chaplin, Officer Robert Dean Pesnell, the following special guests were recognized and given the opportunity to say a few words to the crowd: Birmingham Mayor Bernard Kincaid, Birmingham Chief of Police Annetta Nunn, and Sheriff of Jefferson County Mike Hale. After Captain Faye Lampkin provided information on host activities being offered, the Opening Session ended with Executive Director Sylvester Daughtry, Jr. making a few special announcements.

The training schedule began immediately afterwards with a full slate of workshops that extended through Friday afternoon. Commission staff made a number of presentations, with the remainder of the workshops supplemented by visiting presenters. They included: CopShock, Surviving Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - Parts I & II (Allen Kates, Police Journalist, Trauma Specialist); Gossips & Complainers & Terminators, Oh My (Candice M. Solie, Director, APCO Institute); The Remote Approach to Explosive Devices (Officer Walter Jones, Birmingham (AL) Police Department); APCO - Training Public Safety Professionals (Candice M. Solie, Director, APCO Institute); Law Enforcement Officers Flying Armed - Parts I & II (Lynn Shobe, Special Agent, U.S. Treasury Department); SOPs for Bicycle Patrol - Managing Risk Through Standards (Lieutenant Tom Woods, Denton (TX) Police Department); Handling People with Mental Illness (Henry K. Stough, H. K. Stough & Associates, LLC, Montgomery, AL); Introduction to CALEA Accreditation Compliance Express (CACE) (Master Sergeant Al Manint, Illinois State Police); Clandestine Drug Labs (Mark Hopwood, Forensic Scientist IV, Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences); Partnering for Preparedness -  The Use of Law Enforcement in Public Health Emergencies (Amy R. Schofield, J.D., M.P.H., Project Director, Center for Public Health Law Partnerships, Univ. of Louisville School of Medicine); and CACE Users Group (Master Sergeant Al Manint, Illinois State Police).

On Friday afternoon, the Commission reconvened for the Town Hall and Full Commission Meetings.

At the Commission Meeting, the Commission received standing committee reports:

Corporate Affairs Committee approved the Austin, Texas, meeting minutes; deferred CALEA Alliance matters until the special ad hoc committee on State Programs completes its task; and recommended supporting the Risk Probe initiative on ways to improve the health and fitness of law enforcement officers.

Outreach Committee approved the Austin, Texas, meeting minutes; received status report on the 2008 conference sites; instructed staff to develop a survey for future conference sites; and requested Corporate Affairs Committee to consider increasing the host agency seed money to $10,000.

Standards Review and Interpretations Committee approved the Austin, Texas, meeting minutes; adopted the Commission Interpretation for Law Enforcement Accreditation standard 84.1.6; approved the modification to Commission Guiding Principle 1.2; and received a status report on the SRIC Focus Group. 

Awards Committee approved the Austin, Texas, meeting minutes and revised criteria for the Meritorious, Assessor, and Cotter Awards.

CALEA Accreditation Support Fund approved the minutes from Austin, Texas, and awarded grants to the following agencies: Munster (IN) Police Department, Roanoke (VA) E-911 Communications Center, and University Park (MD) Police Department.

Agency review hearings were held on Saturday morning, with five committees of Commissioners reviewing a total of 84 agencies: 17 for initial law enforcement accreditation, 49 for law enforcement reaccreditation, 2 for initial public safety communications accreditation, 3 for public safety communications reaccreditation, 1 for initial training academy accreditation, 6 for initial recognition, 3 for initial recognition through alliance, and 3 for re-recognition through alliance.

The agencies reviewed were awarded accreditation or recognition at the Saturday night Celebration Banquet. The evening ended with the Chair inviting everyone to the next Commission Conference in Boston, Massachusetts, July 27-30, 2005.