2025 Presentations
This presentation will cover the truth about what really happened in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020. Liz Collin had a unique perspective as a longtime nightly news anchor in Minnesota married to the Minneapolis Police Officers Federation President. Her quest for truth led to the Amazon bestselling book "They're Lying: The Media, The Left, and The Death of George Floyd," and the critically acclaimed documentary "The Fall of Minneapolis" which has been viewed more than 10 million times around the world.
PRESENTED BY:
LIZ COLLIN, REPORTER, ALPHA NEWS
Liz Collin is a multi-Emmy-Award-winning reporter and news anchor. She is also a public speaker. As a truth speaker for more than 20 years, Liz has given a voice to many who otherwise would have been kept silent - and her investigative reporting has led to the founding of new state laws. Liz is a Minnesota native who lives in the Twin Cities area with her husband (a former Minneapolis Police lieutenant and union leader), adventurous son, and loyal lab.
BOB KROLL, LIEUTENANT, RET., MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT
Bob Kroll is a highly decorated retired police lieutenant. He spent 32 years on the Minneapolis Police Department serving assignments on patrol, investigations, the SWAT team, and the union board. He also served 21 years in the U.S. Army Reserve as a military police officer.
Liz, Collin, Reporter, Alpha News
Bob Kroll, Lieutenant, (Ret.), Minneapolis Police Dept.
This presentation will cover the results of the after-action review regarding the deadly shootout that occurred on February 2nd, 2021, in Sunrise, Florida, where Special Agents Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger were killed in an ambush while serving a search warrant regarding a child sexual abuse material investigation.
PRESENTED BY:
JUSTIN FLECK, ASAC, FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
Justin Fleck is the senior Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Miami Field Office of the FBI. He was a graduate of Florida State University and the inaugural class of the Department of Justice, Florida Police Corps Program. ASAC Fleck started his career with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in Tampa, Florida as a Deputy Sheriff in 2000. He worked in various units including patrol, street crimes, narcotics, gangs, and robbery/homicide. ASAC Fleck began working as a Task Force Officer with the FBI Tampa Field Office in 2004 and became a Special Agent in 2007. ASAC Fleck has worked in the El Paso Field Office (Midland Resident Agency), Miami, and FBI Headquarters during his career. ASAC Fleck has spent most of his career working violent crime and has worked several mass murders including the Ft Lauderdale Airport and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. ASAC Fleck was also a certified expert witness and member of the Cellular Analysis Survey Team. ASAC Fleck was promoted to the rank of ASAC in Miami in 2018 and has led several branches including the Violent Crime Branch, Resident Agency Branch, and most recently the Operational Support Branch. ASAC Fleck has served as Acting Section Chief of the International Operations Section over the Americas, The Five Eyes, and MLATS. ASAC Fleck has also served as the Acting Section Chief of the FBIs Training Division in Quantico over New Agents Training, New Analyst Training, National Academy, and Leadership Training.
JUSTIN FLECK, ASAC, FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
The true story of how the abandonment of basic investigative principles and tactics led to the death of a U.S. Border Patrol Agent named Brian Terry. While many people believe that ATF provided firearms directly to Mexican drug cartels, the story is quite different, but no less excusable. Special agents, following guidance of federal prosecutors and inexperienced managers from within ATF decided to take a different approach to attempting to dismantle cartel related straw purchasing networks, but in doing so, abandoned the age-old philosophy that an investigative strategy should never trump public safety, with catastrophic results. This will be the first time that this case is discussed by ATF Agents from both sides of the U.S./Mexico, who spoke truth to power and became whistleblowers in pursuit of agency reform.
PRESENTED BY:
PETER J. FORCELLI, DEPUTY ASST. DIRECTOR (RET.), BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, FIREARMS AND EXPLOSIVES
Peter J. Forcelli is the author of "The Deadly Path: How Operation Fast and Furious and Bad Lawyers Armed Mexican Cartels." He is a retired ATF Deputy Assistant Director and former N.Y.P.D. homicide detective. During his 35-year law enforcement career he worked his way up from "beat cop" to detective, before going on to serve as a Special Agent for the United States Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. Before his retirement, he served as the head of training for the agency.
Mr. Forcelli was best known for developing complex criminal investigations targeting armed gangs and criminal organizations. He has made over 1,000 arrests and has served over 300 search warrants in his career. Mr. Forcelli has been recognized in Federal court as an expert witness in historical home invasion investigations and in New York State Courts as an expert witness in interviewing and identification techniques. He is best known for his work on several highly successful criminal cases, including the "Sex, Money, Murder" racketeering investigation, and the investigation into the Neese Bello Organization, which led to members of the group pleading guilty to over 145 home invasion style robberies. He was also a 11whistleblower,11 who came forward and testified in the congressional inquiry into the "Operation Fast & Furious11 scandal, following the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.
Over the span of his career Mr. Forcelli served in several leadership positions within ATF in Phoenix, Arizona; Eastern Canada; Miami, Florida and in ATF Headquarters. While serving as the Special Agent in Charge of the Miami Field Division, he oversaw ATF's response to several mass shootings, including those at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland Florida. He also oversaw ATF's investigation into Omar Mateen and his acquisition of the firearms that were used in the Pulse Nightclub shooting.
Mr. Forcelli has also been involved in the exoneration of eight people who were wrongfully arrested and convicted in Bronx, New York, for murders that they did not commit, to include a man that he himself helped arrest nearly a quarter of a century earlier, when evidence of that man's innocence surfaced. Mr. Forcelli helped each of those people win their freedom, while also identifying and working to help prosecute the actual killers.
Mr. Forcelli is a survivor of the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks on the World Trade Center and the lung cancer that he later developed because of his work in the rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero. He is a recurring guest speaker at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.
CARLOS A. CANINO, DEPUTY ASST. DIRECTOR (RET.), BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, FIREARMS AND EXPLOSIVES
Carlos A. Canino retired as the Special Agent in Charge of the Los Angeles Field Division on January 31, 2020, after 30 years of service as an ATF Special Agent. Mr. Canino was responsible for leading the men and women of the Los Angeles Field Division in enforcing federal laws and regulations related to firearms, explosives, and arson.
A seasoned law enforcement professional, Mr. Canino began his ATF career as a Special Agent in 1990, in Yakima, Washington. Rising through the ranks at ATF, Mr. Canino has served in several leadership positions including Deputy Assistant Director Field Operations (West) Special Agent in Charge of the Los Angeles and Miami Field Divisions, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Field Division, ATF Mexico Country Attache and Supervisory Special Agent in St. Louis, Missouri. He also served as a street agent in Los Angeles, Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Mr. Canino is a member of several professional organizations including the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). Mr. Canino is a two-time recipient of the International Narcotics Officer Association Medal of Valor. He is a recipient of the United States Attorney General Award for Excellence in Law Enforcement, the ATF Foreign Service Medal and a two-time recipient of the ATF Distinguished Service Medal.
A Watertown, Massachusetts native, Mr. Canino earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Westfield State College, Westfield Massachusetts in 1988. He was inducted into the Westfield State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009, and the School of Criminal Justice Hall of Fame in 2017. Mr. Canino was named Westfield State's Distinguished Alumnus of the year in 2014.
Peter J. Forcelli, Deputy Asst. Director, (Ret.), ATF
Carlos A. Canino, Deputy Asst. Director, (Ret.), ATF
This lecture will cover the investigation and prosecution of “Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow/Daybell” homicide investigation and prosecution. The speakers, Sheriff Ball and Chief Deputy Kaaiakamanu, will detail the tools and approaches to piecing together a case. From identification of the body, investigation, coroner/medical examiner’s conclusions, and evidence recovered, leading to solving and prosecuting the case of Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow/Daybell.
PRESENTED BY:
RON BALL, SHERIFF, MADISON COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
Sheriff Ron Ball started his law enforcement career with the City of St. Anthony In 1992. After six months, he was hired as a patrol officer with the City of Rexburg where he spent the next 31 years.
In November 2023, the previously seated Sheriff retired, and Ron Ball was appointed to the office of Sheriff by the Madison County Commissioners and elected to the office of Sheriff in November 2024.
His assignments included patrol, canine officer, drug task force officer, hostage negotiator, east Idaho critical incident investigator, internal affairs investigator, homicide, bank robbery, and child abuse. He was a member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) and served as security superintendent at the east Idaho State Fair where 40 Police and Sheriff’s Deputies from around Southeastern Idaho worked to provide security for the fair.
Sheriff Ball holds Basic, Intermediate, Advanced and Management certificates from Idaho POST. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Organizational Leadership from the University of Charleston West Virginia and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy – Session 262 in 2015.
He was a supervisor and one of the leading case officers for the Chad Daybell and the Lori Vallow Daybell homicide case in Rexburg, Idaho.
VINCE KAAIAKAMANU, CHIEF DEPUTY, MADISON COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
Chief Deputy Vince Kaaiakamanu started his law enforcement career reserving with the Madison County Sheriff's Office in 2004. He later went full time as a Detention Deputy with the Fremont County Sheriff's Office. He then transferred to the Patrol Division and then the Detective Division. He spent 19 years with the Fremont County Sheriff's Office. In 2023 he accepted a job with Madison County Sheriff as Chief Deputy where he currently works.
His assignments included detention, patrol / patrol sergeant, multi-jurisdictional SWAT operator / commander, detective / detective sergeant, narcotics, east Idaho critical incident investigator, internal affairs investigator, homicide, and child abuse.
Chief Deputy Kaaiakamanu holds a Basic Detention, Basic Patrol, Intermediate, Advanced, Supervisor, and Management certificates from Idaho Post. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Leadership at the University of Charlston, West Virginia. He has attended the FBI Executive Command College, the Professional Development Academy, and presently serves as Vice President for the Idaho Narcotics Officers Association.
He also served as supervisor with Fremont County Sheriff's Office and as one of the leading case investigators for the Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow Daybell homicide case in Rexburg and Fremont County, Idaho.
Ron Ball, Sheriff, Madison County Sheriff's Office
Vince Kaaiakamanu, Chief Deputy, Madison County Sheriff's Office
On Valentines night, 1993, Gary Dugmore was shot multiple times while waiting to get an estimate in an auto body shop.
What appeared to be a carjacking gone wrong yielded little evidence or clues identifying the suspects, and the case remained unsolved.
Several years later, information was developed, indicating the murder was for financial gain, and was a contract murder involving five suspects.
An informant provided initial information identifying the motive. Through a series of interviews, surveillance, undercover operations, and California's first-ever interstate wire intercept used in a homicide, enough evidence was gathered to successfully prosecute all parties involved.
A number of critical mistakes and investigative tactical errors will be highlighted during the presentation.
PRESENTED BY:
MARK L. LILLIENFELD, DETECTIVE, (RET.), LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT
Mark Lillienfeld was born and raised in Waco, Texas, attended high school in a small town in Illinois, and moved to California at 17. He served 42 years as a Los Angeles County deputy sheriff.
He has worked in the custody, patrol, and detective divisions. Mark promoted to station detective in 1985 at Firestone station, after having worked as a patrol and field training deputy. He worked briefly in the Commercial Crimes Bureau-Forgery/Fraud Detail and was then assigned to the Special Investigations Bureau-Prison Gang Section for over three years, investigating crimes committed by Aryan Brotherhood Prison Gang members.
In 1992 Mark was promoted and transferred to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau where he investigated murders, suspicious deaths falling within the jurisdiction of the Sheriff of Los Angeles County, deputy and officer involved shootings, and deaths occurring within a custody environment. During that time, he was the primary or secondary detective in the murders of 12 police officers.
Having investigated over 420 murders and deputy/officer involved shootings over a 25-year period, Mark briefly retired in 2016. He was hired on a contractual basis as an investigator for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, assigned to the Conviction Review Unit, examining murder convictions that came under scrutiny due to new evidence or claims of actual innocence that had obvious merit. As a result of this assignment, three innocent people wrongfully convicted were found factually innocent and released from prison, which resulted in the actual persons responsible being arrested, charged, and convicted.
In 2018, Mark worked as a Laguna Beach Police Department cold case homicide detective investigating murders dating back to the 1960’s.
In 2019, he was hired back on a contractual basis by the Los Angeles County Sheriff, creating and working a Civil Rights & Public Corruption Detail, assigned to investigate allegations of criminal conduct committed by governmental employees during the course of their duties.
Mark has lectured on best practices in homicide investigations the past 25 years to a variety of law enforcement and prosecutorial organizations including the International Homicide Investigators Association, California Homicide Investigators Association, and the California POST approved Los Angeles Police Department – Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department two-week basic homicide course.
Mark Lillienfeld, Detective, (Ret.), Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
In 2012, eighteen-year-old Samantha Koenig disappeared from a drive-thru coffee shop in Anchorage, Alaska. The intensive search for Samantha ultimately led investigators from Alaska to Texas where her kidnapper, Israel Keyes, was arrested. Through the course of 20+ interviews with Keyes, investigators determined he was responsible for 11 rapes and homicides across multiple states spanning over a decade. A chilling individual, Keyes was extremely organized and meticulous in his planning, execution, and post-offense behaviors. This case involved the collaboration of multiple local, state, and local law enforcement agencies across the United States.
PRESENTED BY:
JOLENE GOEDEN, SPECIAL AGENT, (RET.), FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
JEFF BELL, DETECTIVE, (RET.), ANCHORAGE POLICE DEPARTMENT
Jeff Bell brings 25 years of distinguished law enforcement experience, including 13 years as a SWAT operator, 8 years as a detective, and 3 years serving as an FBI Safe Streets Task Force Officer in partnership with the U.S. Marshals Service.
He is widely recognized for his investigative expertise and has been featured in several documentaries for his work on the Israel Keyes serial killer case.
Now retired, Jeff resides in Naples, Florida, with his wife, Cindy. He enjoys spending his time on the golf course and at the poker table.
KAT NELSON, SPECIAL AGENT, FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
FBI Special Agent Kat Nelson is a 2006 graduate of Texas A&M University with a BA Degree in Political Science. She entered on duty with the FBI in 2008 as a Tactical Analyst assigned to the Anchorage Field Office’s Violent Crime program. After completing Special Agent training at the FBI Academy in 2018, SA Nelson returned to Anchorage to continue working violent crime. Special Agent Nelson currently serves as the FBI Anchorage Safe Streets Task Force Coordinator, working multi-agency investigations of violent criminal enterprises across Alaska.
Jolene Goeden, Special Agent, (Ret.), Federal Bureau of Investigation
Kat Nelson, Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Jeff Ball, Detective, (Ret.), Anchorage Police Department
On April 20, 2006, thirty-three-year-old Taja Jones left work early to run an errand. When she failed to pick up her son from the babysitter that evening, or appear at work the following morning, she was reported missing to the Los Angeles Police Department. Five days later, she was discovered deceased inside of her vehicle with obvious signs of foul play.
The investigation was conducted by LAPD’s South Bureau Homicide Division. A motive substantiated by considerable evidence immediately emerged, but the case remained unsolved. Instead, a murderer's crime spree continued, and four violent rapes were committed while the investigation lay dormant. In 2018, two suspects were arrested, charged, and later convicted for Jones' murder.
The presentation will provide a candid examination of the Jones investigation and highlight lessons learned, investigative errors, best practices for cold case investigations, and the adverse impact of inaction, groupthink and leadership failures on murder investigations. The presenters will also impart the strategies and resources employed to overcome the case's investigative and legal challenges.
PRESENTED BY:
BERTHA "B" DURAZO, DETECTIVE, (RET.), LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT
Bertha "B" Durazo was born and raised in the city of Los Angeles. She was employed in the private sector for nine years before pursuing a career in law enforcement. She joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 1996 and retired honorably in January 2023.
She began her career assigned to patrol, abatement, and narcotics before promoting to detective in 2003. She transferred into LAPD’s 77th Division and investigated crimes against persons, auto thefts, and robberies before accepting a reassignment to the Criminal Investigations Section, Major Crimes Division, to investigate terrorist-related crimes. In 2007, she transferred to South Bureau Homicide Division as a homicide investigator and promoted to supervisor in 2008. She supervised the division’s joint FBI / Violent Crime Task Force in 2010 and returned to homicide investigations in 2011.
In 2013 she volunteered for an assignment in the cold case squad. She served temporarily as its acting officer-in-charge but committed her time in the unit investigating complex unsolved murders with her long-term partner, Detective David Ross. Partnered for a decade, they conducted comprehensive case screenings, exhausted forensic resources, and employed effective interview and interrogation techniques to solve cold cases.
Successful outcomes included a 1980 strangulation, rape, torture, and arson murder committed against a 79-year-old victim; a 1998 rape and asphyxia murder of a pregnant victim by prolific serial killer Chester Turner; a 2001 stabbing and blunt force trauma murder committed against an 81-year-old victim by a suspect who, in a separate crime, shot two LAPD officers; and a 2006 kidnap and torture murder committed by a cold-hearted duo.
Durazo received a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice from California State University Fullerton, and California State University Long Beach, respectively. She continues to assist with unsolved murders, and remains dedicated to broadening her knowledge, training, and experience. She is an active member of the California, National, and International Homicide Investigators Associations. She served as an Advisory member for NHIA in 2022 and was selected to the NHIA Board of Directors as Secretary in 2023.
DAVID ROSS, DETECTIVE, (RET.), LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT
Dave Ross was born in Texas and grew up in Wyoming and Colorado. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps shortly after high school. He served for over 20 years including tours with four different infantry battalions: 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Force Reconnaissance Company, and two tours as a drill instructor at the Marine Corps Recruitment Depot, San Diego. He retired in 1996 to pursue a career in law enforcement. He joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 1996 and served for 26 years before retiring honorably in 2023.
During his tenure with the LAPD, he spent the majority of his career working assignments in South Los Angeles at LAPD’s 77th Street Division. These included tours as a patrol officer, gang officer, and field training officer. In 2008, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and served for a year as a patrol supervisor within LAPD’s Central Division, which includes the “skid row” area. Following his promotion to the rank of detective in 2009, he returned to the 77th Street Division. While there, he worked on a variety of investigative assignments including burglary, auto theft, crimes against persons and domestic violence before transferring to the South Bureau Homicide Division in 2010.
As a homicide investigator, he was initially assigned fresh cases with the 77th squad. They were primarily comprised of gang and narcotic-related murders but also included several complex circumstantial cases. In 2013, he joined the cold case unit and specialized in unsolved murder investigations. He and his partner, Detective “B” Durazo, successfully solved multiple cold case homicides, including several that underwent repeated reviews and remained unsolved for 20-to-40 years. Additionally, he and Durazo discovered two additional victims (a woman and her unborn fetus) murdered by serial killer Chester Turner; murders previously believed to be undetermined deaths. Ross continued to investigate cold cases until his retirement.
In 2023, he served as a NHIA Advisory member and joined the NHIA Board of Directors as Administrative Support in 2024. He is an active member of the California Homicide Investigators Association and remains interested in cold case investigations.
Bertha "B" Durazo, Detective, (Ret.), Los Angeles Police Department
David Ross, Detective, (Ret.), Los Angeles Police Department