In a deeply moving and unforgettable presentation, Carly and Reichen Posey, a parent and student who survived the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, share their powerful story. From a child’s experience in a first-grade classroom to the journey of a parent navigating unimaginable fear, this dual perspective sheds light on trauma, healing, and resilience.

Nihilistic Violent Extremism (NVE) refers to individuals who engage in criminal conduct in furtherance of ideological goals that derive from a hatred of society and a desire to bring about its collapse by causing chaos, destruction, and societal instability. NVEs work individually or as a part of a network with the goals of destroying civilized society through the corruption and exploitation of vulnerable populations, which often include minors. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Fusion Center (SLED FC) has begun to reach out to educational institutions, community partners, and other entities who have direct ties and interactions with juveniles who may be vulnerable to this form of extremism in order to spread awareness. The SLED FC proposes a presentation on this form of extremism and the potential impacts and indicators that school resource officers will need to be aware of in order to identify students of concern or victims of extortion.

This presentation will detail the coordinated efforts of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force and Adams County Sheriff's Office to prevent a targeted school threat of violence. It will highlight how we operated both independently and collaboratively, leveraging community resources, and our knowledge of the local environment to intervene effectively. Beyond describing the case, we aim to share valuable lessons learned from our success, providing other officers and agencies with practical strategies for preventing potential tragedies and ensuring individuals receive the support they need. The presentation will also cover key lessons learned, important information discovered during the investigation, and the outcomes for the offender. In addition, we will cover current trends related to Nihilistic Violent Extremism and Online Sexual Exploitation among juveniles.

This presentation discusses the daily traumas of a school resource officer and how they can injure the brain causing post-traumatic stress, suicide, depression, anxiety and sleep disorders, unprofessional service, and many other psychological and emotionally distressing symptoms. The #1 cause of death for officers is suicide. 20% will experience severe post-traumatic stress symptoms. 35% will have depression and anxieties. 40% have serious sleep disorders. 20% will develop an addiction - including being twice as likely to become an alcoholic. The presentation highlights evidence-based wellness strategies to strengthen resilience daily and to enhance physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness.

Landen was a bright, kind-hearted 17-year-old with a love for football, basketball, his friends, his family, and big dreams for the future. Like so many young people, his journey was only beginning—and the road ahead held nothing but promise. He had a goal of one day becoming a counselor — someone who would help others through life’s hardest challenges.

But on February 7, 2023, Landen’s life was tragically cut short when he fell victim to Sextortion via Snapchat. In the wake of this heartbreaking loss, our family made a promise: that Landen’s story wouldn’t end here. We vowed to speak his name, share his truth, and fight to protect others in his memory.

The Nightmare of A.I. Chatbots as Told Through Case Studies of Grooming, Child Sex Abuse, Suicide, and Murder

A.I. chatbots or “companions” have exploded in popularity and are plaguing schools of every size. They’re quickly and unexpectedly leading to grooming, child sex abuse, increased suicide, and even murder. This session will discuss various real world chatbot cases that have led to tragedy, with an interactive discussion of the case facts; what went wrong; factors that could have affected the outcome, and prevention strategies that should be implemented to avoid similar cases in the future. We’ll also be going onto popular chatbot apps as both a child and perpetrator. To truly understand how dangerous these apps are, it is critical to understand how they work. This training will provide a comprehensive understanding of the emergence, uses, and dangers of chatbots, as well as real-world cases, legislation, and prevention strategies.

January 4, 2024, was the first day back after Christmas break for the students and staff of Perry High School. As students filed in, a 17-year-old student, brimming with ill-intent and armed with a shotgun, shattered the excitement with a pull of the trigger. For the next four minutes and twenty-one seconds, he indiscriminately fired at anyone or anything in his way. Prior to taking his own life, he killed two, injured six, and terrorized dozens. Understanding the events of January 4 is best done through the perspective of law enforcement and school officials; students and staff; and the shooter. The vision, planning, preparation, and actions of each impacted the outcome of that morning. This presentation is designed to honor those directly affected and aid others, as they plan for, respond to, and investigate future active shooter events.

Our son Bradyn was a life loving teenager who was a talented athlete and a gifted academic. On March 4th 2025, he spent the evening with me at my salon while his friend was getting his hair done. It was an absolutely normal evening with my husband telling him goodnight at 11PM. The next morning, I went to wake him to let him know there was a snow day and I found him in our basement, he had hung himself. We quickly discovered that Bradyn was targeted online by a trained criminal from overseas pretending to be someone local with mutual friends. The individual who contacted my son was able to manipulate him into sending compromising photos and then immediately began threatening him. We believe the entire exchange took around 4 hours, before Bradyn took his life.

School Resource Officers are facing a rapidly shifting landscape of digital harm. Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) now enables the creation of synthetic sexual images of minors, impersonation of students, and new forms of coercion and harassment. In 2024, NCMEC received more than 67,000 reports involving GAI—an increase that directly affects school safety and the day-to-day work of SROs. This session provides practical, trauma-informed guidance for understanding and responding to these emerging threats.

1 in 4 girls & 1 in 13 boys are estimated to experience child sexual abuse. Adults in their lives must better understand how to protect them from those who seek to hurt them. All adults with children in their lives should be familiar the various theories about the causes of pedophilia and development of pro-offending attitudes, plus the more typical patterns of sexual offending (child sexual abuse, rape, sexual assault, commercial sexual exploitation, and internet crimes against children) committed by both juvenile and adult sex offenders. This presentation will highlight (via video and audio taped interviews with various sex offenders) some of the more common pathways to developing deviant sexual interests and criminal sexual behavior. Hillery will also review various studies that examine the number of detected vs. undetected offenders and sexual crimes occurring in our communities and the average degree of “cross-over” or “crime switching” behavior sex offenders engage in.

Many schools across the US are struggling with students vaping in their buildings. We will provide a different approach to handling the many vaping cases SRO's and school administrators face on daily basis. The presentation will cover a school based restorative justice approach.

Operation Elusive Princess was a year-long, proactive undercover online investigation on the social networking application Kik of an offender who planned to meet & have sex with the undercover officer's 8-year-old notional child. The offender had been able to evade numerous other undercover agents for several years prior. This presentation discusses the hurdles that were overcome in this case by exhausting all tools and investigative techniques such as surveillance operations, in-person undercover meets, GPS tracking devices, and most importantly, the federal prosecution of distributing obscene material & computer-generated CSAM (18 USC 1466A). This was a unique theory of prosecution that to date, had not been utilized in the Southern District of Florida. With the advent of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) images and videos of CSAM, this tool is used in greater prevalence.

On May 1, 2024, an armed individual attempted to enter the Mount Horeb Middle School. Members of the Mount Horeb Police Department will discuss the response, lessons learned, and key takeaways from this incident. General topic headings will include a brief overview of the incident, videos, evidence photos, the DCI/Outside Agency Process, Communication, Leadership, Preparation, and other aspects of the incident to help others prepare for the unthinkable.

Controlling the Controllable: Lessons Learned from the Abundant Life Christian School Shooting

On December 16, 2024, an armed student shot seven classmates and a teacher at a private Christian school. This session will provide an overview of the incident and explore the aspects that first responders were able to control. By focusing on decision points before, during, and after the incident, lessons will be identified in areas including interagency training, the coordinated response, and the reunification of over 400 students with their families. Root causes for both successes and challenges will be shared, along with concrete next steps for improvement, to save lives and decrease survivor trauma at future incidents.

Core Technology - The Tech Law Enforcement Use Globally to Combat Child Exploitation

Child Rescue Coalition (CRC) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) that builds technology for law enforcement, free of charge, to combat online child exploitation. Child Rescue Coalition's Core Technology, developed by law enforcement nearly 20 years ago, has grown to become the most proactive tool for law enforcement to combat online child exploitation in the world. Used in more than 100 countries and across all 50 US States, CRC Core Technology attacks peer-2-peer and chat networks, using automated technology to harnesses the workload of thousands of officers to obtain publicly available information from those who possess and distribute child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Use of the Core Technology requires law enforcement to complete a rigorous 3–4-day training. CRC Core Technology is critical as individuals who possess and share CSAM have a very high rate of hands-on offenses against children.

Students today are growing up in a digital landscape shaped by social media, artificial intelligence, and constant connectivity. While technology offers educational and social benefits, it also presents new challenges to mental health, including increased anxiety, depression, cyberbullying, social comparison, and exposure to harmful content. School Resource Officers (SROs) and school staff are often on the front lines of observing the effects of these digital influences, yet many are uncertain how to recognize early warning signs or respond effectively. This session explores the intersection of AI, social media, and student mental health, providing SROs with an understanding of how digital platforms and emerging technologies impact emotional well-being, behavior, and risk. Participants will examine the psychological effects of constant online engagement, algorithm-driven content, and AI tools that shape students’ social and emotional experiences.

The statistics surrounding sexual violence are sobering and demand an unwavering, professional response from law enforcement. Shockingly, approximately one in three females and one in six males will endure sexual violence in their lifetime. Within our schools, these numbers translate to a hidden crisis: countless students may be suffering in silence, weighed down by trauma and fear. The silence is often deafening—studies reveal that around 67.5% of victims do not report their victimization to law enforcement, frequently immobilized by shame, fear of disbelief, or profound distrust.

Resilience - the ability to withstand, recover, and/or grow in the face of stressors and changing demands. In this presentation we will cover the tenants of wellness and apply them to thrive in the face of the many adversities our Law Enforcement community faces on a daily basis.

• Mental - the ability to effectively cope with unique mental stressors and challenges.
• Physical - the ability to adopt and sustain healthy behaviors needed to enhance health and well-being.
• Social - the ability to engage in healthy social networks that promote overall well-being and optimal performance.
• Spiritual - the ability to strengthen a set of beliefs, principles, or values that sustain an individual's sense of well-being and purpose.

This vitally important presentation will provide attendees with the necessary tools, through a series of dynamic and interactive modules, that will allow them to return to their agencies with a new philosophy of resilience within their department's culture.