MADISON, Wis. – On Tuesday, August 29, Attorney General Brad Schimel will welcome more than 600 National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children (National DEC) annual conference attendees to Green Bay, Wis.

“I’m excited to welcome the hundreds of multi-disciplinary DEC stakeholders to Wisconsin, not only because our state has so much to offer tourists and out of town guests, but because we have so many criminal justice professionals who are seen as national leaders in their respective fields and who are ready to share their knowledge with conference attendees,” said Attorney General Schimel. “The rise of the opioid epidemic and the return of methamphetamine is tragically pulling countless children into the grip of the illicit drug world and Wisconsin is again leading the nation in our approach to the drug crisis, guaranteeing that children are not forgotten.”

National DEC is a collaboration between law enforcement, prosecutors, social services, medical personnel, treatment providers, prevention experts, probation and corrections, and first responders dedicated to helping children endangered by substance abuse. National DEC ensures that children caught in the abuse, manufacture, and distribution of illicit drugs receive a child-centered approach to receiving help for any emotional or physical damage their caretaker’s actions may have caused.

Topics that will be covered at the conference will include trauma informed care, human trafficking, the effects of marijuana on a teenage brain development, substance abuse’s effect on child abuse and neglect, and how to collaborate with tribal communities.

Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Cindy Giese is current president of National DEC.

Wisconsin has 58 DEC programs, which includes 49 counties and seven tribal communities. Ten more counties and tribes are currently developing DEC programs and hope to have them completed within the next year.

Every year, the Wisconsin Department of Justice hosts conferences and trainings to the more than 16,000 certified Wisconsin law enforcement, jail, and secure juvenile detention officers who are statutorily required to complete 24 hours of annual recertification training. The agency also provides instructor updates and training seminars for new chiefs of police, jail administrators, and sheriffs. Career development programs for mid- to senior-level law enforcement executives are also facilitated and sponsored by DOJ, including First Line Supervisor Training; Leadership in Police Organizations, which is the flagship leadership development training program of the International Association of Chiefs of Police; and the Command College, a nationally accredited leadership and management development training program that is a joint venture of the Wisconsin Department of Justice and the University of Wisconsin.

In addition to the above trainings, DOJ also awarded 47 specialized training grants in the amount of $233,000 to external criminal justice organizations and associations which in turn provided advanced training for more than 4,200 certified Wisconsin law enforcement, jail, and secure juvenile detention officers.

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