The below list is a tentative schedule of sessions that will be offered in our track for Law Enforcement and Public Safety Officers or that will include POST credit.
- Over the Counter, Under Arrest
- Drugs That Cause Officer Safety Issues
- Building a Strong DWI Case Through Effective Testimony
- Preventing Risky Road Use Behaviors Among College Students Using a Peer Health Education Model
- Fake IDs: Recognition and Prevention
- Keeping Up With Cannabis Trends and Mental Health
- Building the Data Story: Enhancing Campus Traffic Safety Efforts with a Layered Data Approach
- Behind the Counter and Beyond the Cloud: What Tobacco Enforcement Really Looks Like on the Ground
- We Made It Home – Now What?
- Navigating DWI Arrests
- Overdose Prevention and Naloxone Administration
- Recognizing Drug Impairment in the Classroom
- Trauma Informed Sexual Assault Investigations and Sexual Violence Prevention
- My Entire Life Changed in a Second
- Living in a Cannabis Culture: Prevention, Risk Mitigation, and Treatment
- Hazing Prevention Education
- When Tension Rises, De-Escalation Basics for Campus Life
- Why We Shouldn’t be Surprised: Exploring the Connections of Trauma, Problematic Substance Use, and Behavior
Thursday, April 9
Over the Counter, Under Arrest
10am-1pm
Presenters: Officer Ashley Eller & Sergeant Frank Imparato
“Over the Counter, Under Arrest” educates law enforcement personnel on the risks posed by easily accessible, over-the-counter products that can be misused to cause impairment. Officers learn how common medications, inhalants, and consumer goods are used for intoxicating effects. Most of these intoxicants are legally and easily purchased online or in your community.
The training emphasizes recognition of impairment indicators on those who use these substances. Through case examples and practical identification tools, participants develop skills to better investigate these incidents with the appropriate enforcement and/or medical resolution.
CEUs: POST hours for this session are pending
Drugs that Cause Officer Safety Issues
2pm-5pm
Presenters: Officer Ashley Eller & Sergeant Frank Imparato
This program focuses on how a wide range of intoxicating substances, legal, illegal, natural, or synthetic, rapidly elevate risks during law enforcement encounters. Participants explore the behavioral effects of different drug categories, including heightened aggression, unpredictable responses to pain, and non-compliance. The course emphasizes officer safety tactics, de-escalation strategies, and coordinated response options when impairment is suspected. Officers gain a deeper understanding of how substance-related impairment complicates detention, arrest, and medical intervention, ultimately improving law enforcement decision-making in dynamic environments.
CEUs: POST hours for this session are pending
Friday, April 10
Building a Strong DWI Case Through Effective Testimony, 9:45am-10:45am
Presenters: Stephanie Watson, Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor and Susan Glass, Deputy Director, Missouri Office of Prosecution Services
Location: Salon 1
Track: Law Enforcement
CEUs: CECH credit for CHES, CEUs for counselors, psychologists, & social workers through MIMH, Missouri Credentialing Board for substance use professionals, POST for law enforcement
This presentation provides law enforcement officers with practical guidance on effective courtroom testimony in Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) cases. The session focuses on clearly and confidently explaining observations, standardized field sobriety tests, chemical testing procedures, and arrest decisions in a way that is accurate, professional, and understandable to judges and juries. Participants will learn how to prepare for testimony, avoid common pitfalls during direct and cross-examination, and maintain credibility under challenging questioning. Emphasis is placed on articulating facts, reports, and evidence while adhering to legal standards and ethical responsibilities. Attendees will leave with strategies to enhance their courtroom presence and strengthen the prosecution
Preventing Risky Road Use Behaviors Among College Students Using a Peer Health Education Model, 9:45am-10:45am
Presenters: Elizabeth Branham, Traffic Safety Specialist and Paige Carter, Senior Research Technician – The Ohio State University’s Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Drug Misuse Prevention and Recovery (HECAOD)
Location: Salon 4
Track: Peer Education, Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Prevention, Law Enforcement
CEUs: CECH credit for CHES, CEUs for counselors, psychologists, & social workers through MIMH, Missouri Credentialing Board for substance use professionals, POST for law enforcement
Impaired road use is most often associated with drinking and driving. But what about cannabis-impaired driving on game day, drunk biking home from a party, or drowsy driving during finals week? Join HECAOD staff for a dynamic session that equips peer health educators and program coordinators to address the full spectrum of impaired road use behaviors. Attendees will receive training materials and an environmental scan designed to facilitate the integration of transportation safety within peer health education initiatives and curricula.
Recognizing Drug Impairment in the Classroom, 9:45am-10:45am
Presenters: Marylyn Dickens, Instructor/ DRE, Extract-ED Training
Location: Salon 3
Track: Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Prevention, Law Enforcement
CEUs: CECH credit for CHES, CEUs for counselors, psychologists, & social workers through MIMH, Missouri Credentialing Board for substance use professionals, POST for law enforcement
The world of cannabis can be confusing and intimidating. As cannabis use grows, it’s important for educators to learn about cannabis and its use. During this training, you will learn about the different types of cannabis plants and how they are identified, how cannabis may be grown and harvested, how various cannabis extracts are made and used, signs of impairment, and more! This course is designed for teachers, school nurses, counselors, teacher aids, and other school faculty.
Why We Shouldn’t be Surprised: Exploring the Connections of Trauma, Problematic Substance Use, and Behavior, 9:45am-10:45am
Presenters: Dr. Fred Rottnek, Director of Community Medicine at SSM Health/Saint Louis University School of Medicine & Program Director of the SSM Health/Saint Louis University Addiction Medicine Fellowship
Location: Salon 2
Track: Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Prevention, Law Enforcement
CEUs: CECH credit for CHES, CEUs for counselors, psychologists, & social workers through MIMH, Missouri Credentialing Board for substance use professionals, POST for law enforcement, Continuing Education for Nurses/Continuing Medical Education
Self-soothing behaviors should not be a surprise in a home or on campus. Our brains respond to trauma and substance use in similar ways, and when an individual experiences trauma, particularly in youth, the reward circuitry and physical brain structure develops differently and creates vulnerability for risky substance use. In this interactive session, participants will learn about brain chemistry, brain structure, and the impact of trauma and substance use on the developing brain. A medication-first model of treatment is one approach to begin treatment for individuals with this history.