Special Operations Training Association of the Upper Midwest

Do What is Just, Fear Nothing

President's Message

Greetings from the SOTA Board and Area Directors.  We are in the process of finalizing the speakers and schedule for the annual SOTA conference.  The 11th Annual Tactical Training Conference will be held at the Arrowwood Resort March 19-21, 2006.  We had a great experience at Arrowwood in 2005 and thought we'd return for one more year.  We have an excellent line-up of speakers for the 2006 conference.  I'll give some information about a few of the speakers:

Derrick Bartlett-Snipercraft:
Derrick has agreed to make the trip from Florida.  He is well-known in the sniper field for his experience and the training he provides.  Derrick will be teaching two courses for 2006; a course specifically geared toward active or future snipers regarding equipment, training, record-keeping, deployment, etc., and a course designed for the snipers and their team leaders/commanders regarding proper utilization of the police sniper, rules of engagement, deployment, liability, etc.  I encourage you to get your team leaders and commanders to this second course which will be held during the afternoon Monday.

Dr. James Pfaff:
Dr. Pfaff is a former medic and surgeon for military special operations teams.  Dr. Pfaff will provide information regarding combat wounds and treatment.  These sessions are not only for our tactical medic personnel, but for all of us.  Dr. Pfaff will provide information on the basic equipment we should all have and how to save lives and/or buy time for our fallen partners.

Dr. Bill Lewinski:
Dr. Lewinski is a Professor at Minnesota State University, Mankato.  He is a behavioral scientist specializing in law enforcement issues and has completed research on human behavior in lethal force encounters.  Dr. Lewinski will be the General Session speaker on Tuesday and I know you'll find his presentation to be both fascinating and enlightening.

We have a number of other speakers for the conference including critical incident debriefings.  We will also be conducting the competition Delta Shoot again.  Look for the information on the website. 

We are looking forward to seeing you all at the conference.  This promises to be an excellent training opportunity for all.  I encourage you to contact your area director or any member of the board with input or questions prior to the conference.            

The conference registration link can be found on this website.  I encourage you to register early to ensure a room at the conference site.  We are currently holding all rooms at Arrowwood for our venue.  When those are filled, any additional registrants will be housed off-site.

Take care, train hard, and stay safe.

Bryan Smith, Sergeant
Bloomington Police Department
952-563-8639