County Telephone Seminars

Wetlands Challenges and Use of Mitigation Bank Credits BenefitsWetlands have presented a liability and construction timing risk to companies, real estate developers, oil and gas companies and other parties constructing buildings, roads, pipelines, oil and gas exploration and production activities, among many others. Failure to understand and manage these issues had resulted in fines, litigation, and extensive delays in construction. Planning ahead,  more...

Electronic Control Weapon and Legal Liability BenefitsThis live audio conference addresses the use of force, investigation and legal liabilities associated with the use of electronic control weapons (ECWs) in a law enforcement environment. Learn about the realities and myths associated with ECWs as well as current use of force federal case laws pertaining to the use of ECWs. Familiarize yourself with 'best practices' responses, uses of ECWs  more...

Effective Use of the Internet in Criminal Investigations BenefitsToday's increasingly-connected society relies more and more upon the Internet. As these connections grow, criminals are conducting a larger number of activities online. They use the Internet to communicate, store data, and even perpetrate a new class of digital crime. This live audio conference will cover several recent case studies along with the methods used to track the offenders, cover  more...

GASB 45 Strategies BenefitsThis live audio conference is critical for any governmental employer with other post-employment benefits (OPEB) liabilities. The program will provide vital information and planning techniques that will enable employers to avoid the potentially disastrous consequences of failing to identify, control and fund its OPEB liabilities. Most states, municipalities and governmental agencies are  more...

GASB 51: Accounting Standards for Intangible Assets BenefitsGovernments possess many different types of assets that may be considered intangible assets, including easements, water or air rights, timber rights, patents, trademarks, and computer software. The implementation of GASB 34 created questions as to whether and when intangible assets should be considered capital assets for financial reporting purposes. An absence of sufficiently specific  more...

Pennsylvania Civil Procedure: View From the Bench ...pelli has been the Magisterial District Judge in Delaware County since 1992, serving the townships of Concord, Bethel, Chadds Ford and Thornbury. Topics will include the filing of a civil and landlord-tenant complaint, required contents, service of the complaint, the hearing process and execution of judgment. This audio conference will address what is expected at a District Court level and the  more...

Grant Management for Grant Recipients BenefitsJoin Edward T. Waters, Esq., an attorney with nationally recognized expertise in federal grants law, to review the essential elements of federal grants and subgrants from a legal perspective. Learn about the fundamentals of grant administration followed by a discussion of urban myths - that is, commonly misunderstood provisions of federal grants - and sharks in the waters, high-risk areas  more...

Roadway Rights of Way: Understanding the Legal and Practical Issues BenefitsThis teleconference will provide comprehensive and useful information about rights of way, easements and issues related to their creation, use and liability. If you are a land surveyor responsible for determining property boundaries, an engineer involved in highway and roadway design, a governmental official affected by route location and selection, or an attorney involved in real estate  more...

Illinois Accessibility Codes BenefitsIn order to address the needs of constituents with disabilities throughout the state, Illinois developed their own accessibility code. This is required to be enforced by all municipalities. While there are a number of applicable accessibility codes that may need to be addressed, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the International  more...

New Jersey s Rehabilitation Subcode BenefitsNew Jersey's Rehabilitation Subcode helps bridge the gap between modern day building codes and what can be done practically. The state of New Jersey will enforce different standards with little regard for grandfathering while also allowing older historical construction the ability to have some flexibility to allow realistic construction limitation to be accommodated. This teleconference  more...

K9 Case Law Update BenefitsThe use of canines in law enforcement continues to increase in criminal investigation, detection and apprehension. Canine encounters have potential implications for prosecuting attorneys, criminal defense attorneys, civil litigation attorneys and labor law attorneys. This teleconference will provide you with an update of case law that addresses the issues that arise from the use of canines  more...

Developing Storm Water Utilities and Impact Fee Programs ... and are expected to be lower in the future. Successful county and municipal storm water program managers are now recognizing that providing storm water management is a basic utility service similar to water supply and wastewater utilities. Well-designed fee structures for the storm water services can provide reliable funding for management systems that are supported by the public. This  more...

EPA's Rules on Compensatory Mitigation for Impact on Wetlands, Streams and Other Waters BenefitsIn 2008, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers adopted new rules that dramatically changed its approach to mitigation under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, which regulates fill in wetlands and other waters of the United States. The new rules adopt a mitigation hierarchy that moves away from the prior preference for on-site, in-kind mitigation in favor of mitigation banks and watershed-based  more...

Development Challenges for Small Commercial Sites ...velopment projects requiring multiple approvals at local, county and state or even federal levels. This teleconference is intended to provide a base of knowledge and awareness of these potential issues. Learning Objectives - You will be able to explain adjacent land uses. - You will be able to identify specific uses within proposed development. - You will be able to discuss the approvals and  more...

Political Law Update: The Latest Developments in Election Law, Lobbyist Regulation and Political Activity Compliance BenefitsThe past two years have been a watershed period for the law of elections, politics and lobbying. At every level of government, across all 50 states, government regulation of elections, politics and lobbying is increasing in scope and changing rapidly. The Supreme Court's landmark decision in Citizens United v. FEC recognized the First Amendment right of business corporations to expressly  more...

Current Issues in CEQA BenefitsWhile others chose to fight over the reality of climate change, those of us who work on new development or projects in California only have time to fight to keep up with the enormous changes in California law and jurisprudence concerning climate change. This teleconference will provide an update on the proposed changes to the California Environmental Quality Act guidelines for mitigation  more...

Best Practices in Digital Evidence Management: The Impact of Digital Evidence on Law Enforcement and Government Investigations BenefitsThis teleconference presentation is designed to provide you with information on emerging trends in electronic media discovery practices. You will have a better understanding of the litigation aspects of electronic media retention and destruction. This will include the scope of electronic media discovery, trigger mechanisms for electronic media retention, obligations of users and counsel,  more...

Current Issues in Qualified Immunity for Law Enforcement Officials BenefitsPlaintiffs see suits against individual officers as a way to recover monetary damages because Monell claims against municipalities are often too difficult or expensive to litigate effectively. From strip searches to excessive force claims, qualified immunity is a powerful defensive tool. This teleconference will help you identify current trends in qualified immunity doctrine in some of the  more...

De-Escalation Tactics When Responding to Individuals with Mental Illnesses BenefitsBecause officers have to protect their own safety as well as the safety of others, they often have limited time in which to establish a communication mode that minimizes risk of violence. Agitated individuals can often be directed away from violence by specific communication skills. Verbal de-escalation techniques are geared to 'set up' those being contained so that physical control  more...

Emerging Trends in Infrastructure Finance - The Stimulus and Beyond BenefitsOur nation's competitiveness has long relied on an efficient, effective and affordable infrastructure network. Over time, both private and public sector investors have played roles in developing our infrastructure. Unfortunately, as the era of government-led and government-financed infrastructure comes to an end because of diminishing resources, alternatives must be explored. Governments  more...

Design Tips for Rain Gardens: Storm Water and Runoff Control ...g runoff quality since their inception in Prince George's County, Maryland, in the early 1990's. Research has shown that their cousin, bioretention, does a very good job of reducing pollutant loads, reducing runoff volumes and increasing infiltration, spurring regulators to look favorably on these practices. What these systems look like, how they work, where to locate them, how deep and how  more...

Implications of Scott v. Harris on Police Vehicle Pursuits and Beyond BenefitsThe Supreme Court has historically recognized that analyzing and ultimately judging the conduct of police officers requires an acknowledgment and appreciation that, particularly in the context of the use of force, the court and trier of fact must take into account the circumstances under which police officers must make such decisions. The Court has also historically emphasized that  more...

Promoting Wellness and Recovery of People With Mental Illness Through Strengths-Based, Person-Centered Practice BenefitsThis topic is important for all levels of the human service and community corrections fields. Policy-makers and funders must develop policies and procedures that support and promote evidence-based practice with this challenging group of service participants. Service organizations must become more outcome-focused in their helping efforts. Direct practitioners, therapists, case managers and  more...

Major Issues in WiMAX Tower Leases and Zoning ...like Wi-Fi computer service, but covers an entire city or county. WiMAX will lead to more leases of land for communications towers because an entire new set of antennas and some new towers will be required for communities receiving the service, but some antennas will be put on existing cell towers. For many of these existing towers and the landowners who leased the land for them, WiMAX raises  more...

From TV to Twitter: Working With the Media During a Crisis BenefitsIn today's media-intensive world, how leaders communicate during a crisis can be just as important - sometimes even more important - than how they manage the problem itself. Whether it's a natural disaster, accident, sensational crime or political controversy, the public and the media demand answers and information now, whether through traditional or new social media channels. Managing and  more...

Developing a Community Nonemergency Response System BenefitsCitizens are demanding fast, easy access to government services in an efficient manner that optimizes their investment. Municipal executives are consistently seeking government solutions to improve service without increasing budgets. Elected officials know the quality of services can mean the difference between re-election and defeat. This teleconference will provide municipal leaders the  more...

The Claims Process on Federal Government Contracts - Maximizing the Return on Your Investment BenefitsMany federal contractors incur additional costs for changes, delays, differing site conditions and contract terminations. However, all too often these contractors do not understand how to effectively seek compensation for these additional costs. This teleconference will help you understand the types of costs you can recover, the circumstances under which certain costs may be recovered and  more...

Recognizing and Responding to Excited Delirium BenefitsResponding to individuals who are mentally ill, or who have alcohol, licit or illicit drugs on board are core tasks for you, the officer and/or first responder. It is not a matter of 'if' you are confronted by an individual who is mentally ill or who has ingested alcohol or drugs (or their combination), only 'when' you will face this situation. In rare situations, individuals have died  more...

A Comprehensive Approach to Building Excellent ADA Facilities within the Public Right-of-Way BenefitsMany state and local entities have found full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act within the public right-of-way to be a difficult goal to achieve. This teleconference will provide proven techniques that will increase the chances of fully completing the ADA facilities the first time without costly mistakes or retrofits. This practical approach coordinates the survey,  more...

Understanding the Development Approval Process ...ing the approval process for the development of land with county and municipal authorities, permitting authorities, surrounding property owners and other interest groups. The teleconference will explain the pre application analysis and preparation which is necessary for the process, and the supporting data and consultants which are essential to get it done. This program will also provide you  more...

Best Practices in Budget Development and Analysis BenefitsIn difficult fiscal times many budget officers and municipal managers begin the process by a rather simple approach: 'Revenues are down 10%, we need to cut the budget by 10%'. Then they wait for the battles to begin, internally with department heads, externally with council members and other public stakeholders. This teleconference will provide budget preparers with a comprehensive  more...

Trends in Miranda Rights and Violations Benefits'You have the right to remain silent ...' The Miranda rights are part of our popular - as well as legal - culture. But what does it really mean? Has it changed in recent times? What makes a valid waiver of those rights? Can you ever use information you get in violation of those rights? Anyone responsible for, or involved with, law enforcement officers and their actions during  more...

Crisis Intervention Team Training for Law Enforcement for the 21st Century nEstimates run as high as 1 in 5 (20%) of 911 emergency calls to law enforcement involve some component of mental illness component and many reach crisis level. Typical law enforcement training is focused on projecting authoritative persona, command and control, and follow my directions or else. These tactics often lead to use of force and injury for all involved parties. Some lead to litigation  more...

Clean Water Act Jurisdiction Guidance Under the New Administration - Rapanos or Oberstar? nThe federal regulatory landscape affecting development in and around waters of the United States was significantly altered by the Rapanos decision. Indeed, that landscape continues to shift as the Army Corps and the courts respond in new ways to a perceived loss of jurisdiction. This teleconference will help you understand the ever-changing jurisdictional landscape and navigate a course to  more...