Katelyn Bruno
Document Analyst/Forensic Examiner
Federal Bureau of Investigations, Quantico
“The Bank Robbery Note File”
Katelyn Bruno graduated with a Master of Forensic Sciences and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from The George Washington University in Washington, DC. Katelyn started work with the FBI Laboratory as an Honors Intern in the Chemistry Unit in 2008. Katelyn joined the Questioned Documents Unit in 2010 and is currently a Forensic Document Examiner. She has been an active member and presenter for the Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists and the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.
The Bank Robbery Note File (BRNF) is a computerized database containing images and wording of demand notes used during robberies. Using the BRNF, bank robberies that occur in different parts of the country can be linked, even if the robberies occur many years apart. When a person writes a demand note, there is a tendency to use similar words and phrases each time he/she writes a new note. This phenomenon occurs even when notes are written several years apart. In this session, attendees will receive an overview of the BRNF, case presentations, as well as how to submit their own demand notes to the database.
Victor Diaz
Detective
Richardson, TX Police Department/FBI Dallas VCTF
“The Disappearance of Sherin Mathews”
Detective Victor Diaz began his career with the Richardson Police Department in November 2006. He has previously been assigned as a detective with Youth Crimes, Crimes Against Persons Unit, Intelligence Unit and is currently assigned to the Dallas FBI, Violent Crime Task Force as a full time TFO. Detective Diaz is a Master Peace Officer with over 260 TCOLE hours of training in Gang related topics. Detective Diaz is a member of the SWAT team as a Sniper and is a Defensive Tactics/Taser Instructor
Sherin Mathews, a three-year-old child, went missing on 10/07/2017. After two weeks her body was recovered from a storm drain less than a mile from her home. A lengthy investigation revealed her adopted father murdered Sherin and tried to cover it up. Multiple challenges faced investigators with the lack of cooperation from the family. Ultimately, Wesley Mathews was arrested.
Geoff Ford
Special Agent
Federal Bureau of Investigations, Philadelphia
“Multi-State Pharmacy Robbery Investigation”
Special Agent Geoff Ford has been an FBI agent since 2007 in New York and Philadelphia (Harrisburg). He currently runs a task force comprised of FBI agents, state troopers and local detectives responsible for investigating federal violent crime violations including murder, bank robbery, armed robbery, kidnapping, fugitives and firearms statutes
SA Ford will present a case study of a pharmacy robbery investigation involving over 25 victim locations across five states and six federal judicial districts.
Andy McDermott
Detective
Aurora Police Department (retired)
“Digital Data Exploitation in Robbery Investigations”
Andy is a retired police detective and was assigned to a violent crime task force. Andy was responsible for investigating significant incidents of violent crime to include homicides, attempt homicides, serial shootings, robberies, and other high-profile/large scale investigations. Andy now provides instruction and analytical support to law enforcement regarding the exploitation of digital data in criminal cases. Andy is a court certified subject matter expert in digital data exploitation.
This case study provides foundational instruction regarding the interpretation and use of digital data in criminal cases. On August 14, 2020, an armed robbery escalated to a double murder in Aurora, Colorado. The victims (husband and wife) left behind 5 young children. The investigation that followed relied heavily on the exploitation of digital data to identify, locate, and apprehend the suspect. Digital data was also used to drive the interview, resulting in a complete confession. The resolution of this case would not have been possible without the ability to locate, obtain, interpret, and synthesize complex data.
Michael Berndl
Law Enforcement Liaison
GeoTime
“Leveraging Cell Phone and Digital Data in Investigations”
Mike is a nationally recognized speaker on cell phone and data analysis. As the Law Enforcement Liaison at GeoTime he works with small to large agencies to help them understand how to best obtain leads and make arrests with their cell phone and data analysis. He brings 30 years of law enforcement experience including investigations and tactical analysis, and five years with GeoTime to help make you a rockstar with in this domain.
Mike will provide the top national trends in cell phone, social media, and data analysis that will affect your agency and investigations in the next 12-24 months. How to use Google data to maximize your leads and layering various data sets to get to those crooks faster will also be covered.
Mitch Morrissey
Former District Attorney
Denver District Attorney’s Office
“Investigative Genetic Genealogy Analysis”
A career prosecutor for 33 years, Mitch Morrissey was elected District Attorney of Denver, Colorado for three terms from 2004-2017. Mitch is internationally recognized for his expertise in DNA technology, applying that technology in criminal prosecutions. He has trained law enforcement officers, prosecutors and judges throughout the United States, in the Middle East, Central America and Canada. A veteran prosecutor, Mitch introduced the first DNA evidence used in a criminal trial in Denver..
Mr. Morrissey spearheaded the Denver Cold Case Project, which reviewed over 4,200 unsolved sexual assaults and murders in an effort to use DNA technologies to solve old cases. In addition, Mr. Morrissey and the Denver Police Crime Lab introduced the use of DNA to solve burglary cases and other property crimes. During his tenure as Denver District Attorney, Mr. Morrissey became the leading proponent in the United States of using Familial DNA Database Searches to solve violent crime.
After leaving the Denver D.A.’s office in 2017, Mr. Morrissey co-founded United Data Connect.
Dan Brite
Peer Support/Wellness Coordinator
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office
“Tragedy to Triumph”
Dan Brite is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and has been in law enforcement for 21 years. He is currently a deputy with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. After his on-duty shooting, he found a new purpose in life, which is to take care of the mental health of first responder’s, veterans and their families. He has been an advocate at both the state and federal level for improving mental health within these professions. He has presented at numerous conferences on first responder mental health. His sidekick, Fergus, is a dual trained service/therapy dog. In his spare time, Dan loves to do anything outdoors, travel and spending quality time with friends and family.
This class briefly covers the life altering injury Dan Brite suffered while on duty. The class goes in depth into his mental health struggles and how, on the brink of suicide, he got the much needed mental health help to overcome his struggles. His wife, who is a sergeant at the same agency, was responding to the call as a negotiator. She never made it to the scene before the shooting began. Her perspective on caregiver fatigue and how trauma effects the family provides a unique look at how the trauma from the profession also effects the home life.
Chris Langley
Detective, Lakewood Police Department
Russ Humphrey
Supervisory Special Agent, FBI Denver
“Lakewood, Colorado Kidnapping Case Presentation”
Chris and Russ’ bios and topic information will be posted shortly
Eric Denke
Sergeant
Denver Police Department
“Rise and Robb Hobbs Act Investigation”
Eric’s bio and topic information will be posted shortly