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Jennifer Beskid, EdD, has worked for the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services for over 18 years. Her duties have included curriculum research and development, providing training courses from entrance-level through leadership and command staff, community outreach and grant administration. She is currently employed in the Department’s Office of Government & Legislative Affairs. Dr. Beskid earned her doctorate in 2021 and the focus of her research was on the motivations of minority police recruits to complete the entrance-level police academy.

Joel Caplan, Ph.D., helps cities and towns prevent crime and improve community policing. He helps them make data-informed decisions about policies and programs that enhance public safety. Dr. Caplan is a Professor at Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice (SCJ) and serves as Director of the SCJ Master’s Program and Director of the Rutgers Center on Public Security (RCPS). Dr. Caplan has professional experience as a police officer, 9-1-1 dispatcher and emergency medical technician.

Judy Pal is the founder and principal of 10-8 Communications LLC and conducts media training, communications counsel, and virtual training for public safety across North America. She is a former assistant commissioner with the NYPD and chief of staff with both the Baltimore and Milwaukee police departments. A former broadcast journalist, she also served as head of communications for Atlanta, Savannah and Halifax (Canada) police. Learn more at www.10-8communications.com.

Hope M. Tiesman, Ph.D., is a research epidemiologist at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). She received her Ph.D. in epidemiology at the University of Iowa where she was an occupational injury prevention fellow at the Heartland Center for Occupational Health & Safety. She has published extensively in the field of occupational injuries and worked with various occupations including the U.S. military, healthcare workers and police officers. She also serves on the International Association of Chiefs of Police Research Advisory Council. Her research interests include the prevention of workplace violence, suicide prevention, the occupational safety and health of police officers, and the scientific evaluation of workplace policies and programs.

Brian Browne has been in law enforcement for over 20 years and is currently a lieutenant for a large municipal police department in southern California. He has worked many specialized assignments, including criminal intelligence, gangs, and homicide. Prior to entering law enforcement, Brian served as a medic and sergeant in the California National Guard.

Brian is passionate about advanced officer training and preparing officers to protect themselves and members of the communities they serve. Further exploring his passion, Brian has been training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for over 13 years and currently holds a black belt under Professors Sean Roberts and Gabrial Costa. As part of his passion, he also teaches Jiu-Jitsu classes regularly.

Brian possesses a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership from BIOLA University and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice.

Michael Gancasz is chief of police for a law enforcement agency in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has more than 20 years of law enforcement experience, is currently pursuing a master’s degree in law enforcement and public safety leadership at San Diego State University and is a graduate of POST Command College Class 67.

Scott L. Bohn is executive director of the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association.

Brendan Hooke is a captain with the Fairfax County (Virginia) Police Department. He is a commander in the department’s Information Technology Bureau. He recently served as the school liaison commander assigned to the Fairfax County Public School system. He has prior experience in the department’s Cyber and Forensics Bureau and investigating and supervising major crimes, organized crime, and narcotics. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary and a master’s degree in high technology crime investigation from George Washington University. He is currently completing a graduate certificate in forensic accounting from George Mason University.

Eric Litchfield is a police captain in Santa Rosa, California, with over 27 years of experience. He has managed the divisions in the police department with responsibility for patrol, traffic, tactical teams, the incident management team, detectives, training, professional standards, hiring, recruitment and promotional assessments. Captain Litchfield has extensive experience and training in personnel investigations, policy development, training development, recruitment, crowd control tactics, union contracts and managing large-scale critical incidents. He has a BA in sociology and is a graduate of the POST Command College Strategic Foresight program. Captain Litchfield serves as an advisor to the Institute for American Police Reform on such issues as use of force, qualified immunity, police accountability and labor relations.

Lon Bartel is a use-of-force expert for VirTra, Inc., and works closely with law enforcement agencies on use-of-force scenario training. He is a retired peace officer and has been a certified law enforcement trainer for over 17 years. AZPOST recognizes him as an expert in the areas of defensive tactics and firearms. He served as his Department’s Rangemaster from 2005-2017. Lon co-founded the Arizona Tactical Officers Association and served as secretary for five years. As a SWAT member, he was a senior operator and was instrumental in creating the explosive breaching program for his department in 2008 where he served as the lead tactical breacher. Lon was also an adjunct instructor for the largest manufacturer of force on force technology and training munitions for six years. This experience has allowed him to witness thousands of simulated forces on force incidents, providing invaluable insight into human performance under stress.

Lon has used his expertise to serve on numerous review boards, which include reviewing and evaluating 300+ actual police cases involving the use of force and deadly force. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Sports Science (Magna Cum Laude) from Arizona State University. Most recently, Lon has been certified by the Force Science Institute (FSI) as a certified Use of Force analyst and is a certified Advanced Specialist with FSI as well.