Paul Butler is an internationally renowned speaker who has trained and entertained audiences in Europe, Africa, South America, and all across North America. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication with a concentration in Culture and Communication, as well as an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice. He excels in the areas of motivation, leadership, customer service, and attitude empowerment. During his 27 years of law enforcement, he has been a public servant, training officer, sergeant, crisis negotiator, chief of police, and chief deputy. These opportunities have given him a unique perspective on a vast array of situations and circumstances that many people find themselves in every day. These experiences have helped him to develop the answers to questions and cures to problems most people are facing at work and in life on a continual basis.

Paul became the chief of police of the Aynor Police Department at 22 years of age, making him the youngest police chief in the history of South Carolina. Born and raised on a small farm, his parents served as examples of hard work, common sense, personal responsibility, and respect for self and others.  This has played heavily in his success in life and within each organization in which he has served. 

He believes the power of a positive attitude can take you to the top or help you simply find happiness and pride in the current role you fill. A healthy attitude is often the key to both personal and professional success – this has certainly been the key to Paul’s success. As Chief Deputy of the Horry County Sheriff’s Office, he was selected to attend the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia in 2005 for the 220th Session. This 10-week, executive level course was host to 250 attendees from all 50 states and 29 countries around the world. Paul was selected by his class to be their graduation day speaker alongside then-FBI Director Robert Mueller. He now serves as the official Master of Ceremonies for the FBI National Academy Associates and the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association during their annual training conferences. To increase his outreach, Paul Butler Presentations was formed and he has been traveling the globe speaking, instructing, and entertaining for all types of groups, organizations, and events. He is consistently one of the highest-rated presenters on the market today and comes with strong references and a list of past and future exciting events.

"Leadership for a Lifetime: How the Past Prepares Us for the Future"

This motivational presentation will cover what it takes to be a good professional and highlight the power of being a good person.  He will illustrate how to take individual talents and apply them to the group setting to make an unstoppable and productive team.  It is his belief that the ability to lead is present in everyone, regardless of their rank in an organization or irrespective of their situation in life.  There are common characteristics that respected people and effective leaders share - most of these traits are developed by the individual rather than through the position they hold.  This presentation will cover some of these most important leadership traits, as well as how each individual can use the lessons of yesterday to overcome the challenges of today and capitalize on the opportunities of tomorrow.

https://www.paul-butler.com/

Josh Bitsko is a retired captain from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. He has been a law enforcement professional for 24 years, and has held a variety of positions to include K9 handler, K9 training sergeant, detective sergeant, internal affairs Lieutenant, policy and procedure lieutenant, commander of the Las Vegas resort corridor, and commander over the health, wellness, and safety bureau. 

He has a BA in Public Administration and is an experienced instructor with over 15 years of teaching both law enforcement employees and community members. Josh responded to the largest mass shooting incident in US history, the 1 October Massacre, as a tactical element. Josh was one of three people to breach the suspect’s door and led a team of officers to make entry and clear the suspect’s room. Josh was also the incident commander over a mass stabbing incident on the Las Vegas Strip, as well as the recent mass shooting at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.  This gives him unique insight on both the stressors of being on the front lines during an active shooter, and the pressures of leading a police response when lives are at stake. 

He has spoken around the country about the 1 October massacre, to include to the Secret Service at the White House. Josh can provide personal insight into the struggles of post-traumatic stress, and strategies to assist in processing trauma. Through his first-hand experiences, Josh can not only provide guidance and training for law enforcement professionals facing the most extreme critical incidents, but also describe the mindset necessary for proper critical incident preparedness, response, and processing the aftermath. 

Josh has worked with both public agencies and the private sector in creating successful wellness and resilience programs.

Josh Bitsko was one of three officers who breached the suspect’s room during the 1 October Mass Shooting in Las Vegas, the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. That moment did not just test tactics. It tested the emotional core of what it means to be a first responder.

Fear, anxiety, and uncertainty are real, yet they are rarely talked about in law enforcement culture. Officers are trained to suppress these reactions, but those emotions still show up, in the moment and long after the incident ends. If we do not prepare our people for that emotional reality, we are setting them up to struggle when it matters most.

This course bridges the gap between tactics and mindset. Josh combines firsthand experience in high stakes critical incidents with real world insight, science based techniques, and practical tools officers can apply immediately. The training focuses on building personal resilience under pressure, improving decision making in real time, and strengthening the mental clarity needed to perform when everything is on the line.

Participants will learn:

• What to expect emotionally before, during, and after a critical incident

• Practical, science backed strategies to manage stress in real time

• Tools to support recovery and build long term resilience

• How to enhance tactical performance and stay mentally sharp under pressure

• What agencies can do to support wellness and reduce internal stress that compounds trauma

This course is ideal for officers, supervisors, command staff, and peer support personnel who want to lead with clarity and build a culture that values both readiness and resilience.

https://www.bitskoconsulting.com/

Chief Rennich is currently a Shift Battalion Chief with over 24 years of experience in the fire service. Chief Rennich is highly experienced in supervising, educating, training personnel and prioritizing and fostering relationships with collogues. 

Chief Rennich will be presenting the timeline of the Pearl Street attack from the Fire and Dispatch perspective. Chief Rennich will discuss the  preparation by the department prior to this event and the lessons learned from the call.  This session will focus on:

• Basic ICS 

• Response for act

• Live harmer events 

• Lessons learned What went well 

• Dispatch/CAD limitations 

• Resources needed 

• Philosophy for rapidly escalating incidents 

• Fostering relationships before a call occurs 

Sgt. Smith grew up in Ohio near Cleveland. After graduating Ohio University with a degree in history, he began working for the National Park Service which brought him west. After several years in the NPS's seasonal lifestyle he applied for a more permanent job with the Jackson Police Department and was hired in 2014. Since then, he has worked in numerous capacities at the JPD including, but not limited to: Narcotics K9 Handler, Drug Recognition Expert, FTO and Detective Sergeant. Sgt. Smith recently attended the FBI National Academy and is now back to work as a Patrol Sergeant with the JPD. 

Sgt. Smith will provide a case study involving four suspects from Houston, Texas, who traveled to Jackson, Wyoming, where they carried out a strong-arm robbery targeting a bank’s exterior ATM. The method employed was both deliberate and efficient, with the actual theft occurring in approximately ten seconds.

Despite the brief execution, the subsequent investigation was extensive, particularly for an agency of our size. Investigators conducted dozens of search warrants and coordinated efforts to identify and track the suspects’ movements before, during, and after the incident. Countless hours of video footage was recovered and reviewed by our detectives as they attempted to identify the four individuals. 

This investigation ultimately revealed connections to a broader network of ATM robberies across multiple jurisdictions nationwide, involving the same individuals and additional associates. All four suspects involved in our robbery were apprehended and indicted federally. 

The investigation highlights the importance of having tenacious detectives who value relationships and hard tedious work. Investigations like this would not be possible without outside agency cooperation between local, state and federal partners.