ATTORNEY GENERAL J.B. VAN HOLLEN'S WORKING SUMMIT ON PUBLIC SAFETY ADDRESSES CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN, DRUGS AND VIOLENCE, AND OTHER TIMELY PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERNS

Wisconsin Chiefs Of Police Association, Badger State Sheriff's Association, Wisconsin District Attorneys Association, and Wisconsin Sheriffs And Deputy Sheriffs Association Acknowledged For Help With DNA Backlog

WISCONSIN DELLS - The Attorney General's Working Summit on Public Safety concluded this afternoon in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.  Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen hosted the summit, which ran from October 17-19, 2007.

The summit gave law enforcement officers from throughout the state, school employees, and other attendees the opportunity to interactively discuss their concerns, thoughts, and ideas with the Attorney General and Department of Justice staff.  The major topics of discussion included: Crimes Against Children in Our Age of Technology; the Ever Evolving Problem of Drugs and Violence; and the Use of the Incident Command System to Manage Disasters.  The summit also included a session addressing the Department of Justice's involvement in the investigation of the recent shootings in Crandon and an update on recent court decisions that affect law enforcement.

"This summit was a tremendous benefit to me and the Department of Justice," said Van Hollen.  "We were able to facilitate substantial and substantive dialogue on a variety of issues, including drug use and drug distribution trends, resource and technology challenges faced by local law enforcement agencies when it comes to fighting Internet crimes against children, and public safety issues facing schools involving such areas as cybercrime and drugs."

"A number of good ideas and observations were shared by the summit participants," Van Hollen continued.  "The Department of Justice exists to assist local law enforcement and enhance public safety, and meetings like these helps us better meet the needs of local law enforcement and other community stakeholders."

In addition to meeting on these important public safety issues, at Thursday's luncheon, Attorney General Van Hollen presented plaques to the Wisconsin Chiefs of Police Association; Badger State Sheriff's Association; Wisconsin District Attorneys Association; and Wisconsin Sheriffs and Deputy Sheriffs Association to acknowledge these group's significant efforts to help him address the DNA backlog and other significant public safety issues.

"These awards are a small token of my immense appreciation of the very hard work these organizations and the members of these organizations perform on a daily basis to advance our common mission to protect public safety," Van Hollen said.