Men & Women Are Different, But They Can All Be Great Cops!

In his free time, he is a published photographer, freelance writer, and studio musician.

Courses:

New High Tech Investigation Techniques – Basic

New High Tech Investigation Techniques – Advanced

Training & Information for Law Enforcement & Security Professionals

Dave Smith and Elizabeth Brantner Smith incorporated “Winning Mind Seminars” after recognizing that officer survival training must be combined with leadership principles, mindset

“The Winning Mind” is Dave’s core class and is designed to give each participant the necessary insight into reaching optimal levels of human performance in life & death confrontations. By looking at the key components of peak performance, Dave Smith presents an entertaining & inspiring program designed to help everyone, regardless of their experience, optimize their odds of winning any confrontation.  Since first being presented in 1987, The Winning Mind has evolved into one of the most remarkable training experiences that law enforcement personnel have ever attended. From Mexico to Canada, The Winning Mind has given men & women the mental edge they need to not face threats on the street but also the stresses they may confront in their daily lives.

Dave also offers “The Winning Mind for Female Officers,” a course originally developed for the Minnesota Association of Women Police and presented at their annual conference. As training commander of the Arizona State Police and beyond, Dave’s philosophy has always been “Don’t tell officers what they can’t do, show them what they can do and expect them to do it well.” As an advocate of female law enforcement officers, Dave encourages women in law enforcement to reflect on their successes and look toward a bright and rewarding future in policing. “The Winning Mind for Female Officers” offers all the components of Dave’s original “Winning Mind” course but adds gender-specific science and leadership principles that women can use to enhance their personal and professional lives and can be team-taught with Sgt. Betsy Smith to add an additional and unforgettable dynamic to the classroom.

“Courageous Leadership in Uncertain Times” addresses how we can guide others to better performance by reviewing historic, scientific, and real life examples that will ultimately improve our own abilities, skills, and beliefs.  All who attend will be asked to truly examine their own role in serving and protecting the community and how that role will continue to change as does our society.

This program reveals the skills we must have to have to bring out the best in ourselves and in others and examines some of the traits we find in the greatest leaders each of us have ever known.  Law enforcement does not have a “private” rank; everyone needs to have the skills of leadership for an agency to be its best.  We begin by acknowledging that all law enforcement personnel are serving in an uncertain and ever-changing environment and that we all must be the “leader,” regardless of assignment. By using history, generational and gender research, science, and current events as our guide, students will begin to see their own critical role in the success of the agency’s mission.  Understanding these key points and learning the skills to overcome the obstacles inherent in law enforcement systems will give them the ability to not only help others cope and overcome those barriers, but will allow them to ultimately help themselves and improve their personal performance, outlook and attitude, both on and off the job.

Dave Smith’s “Leadership for Optimal Performance” addresses the critical truth that “leadership” is not a function of a particular position within an agency but what one does with the position they are in.  This program identifies and explores the skills each of us needs to bring out the best in ourselves and in others.  Dave examines some of the traits found in the greatest leaders known and helps students apply those traits and skills to their own situations.  Students gain an awareness that we are the “leader” when we talk to a victim of a crime on the phone, dispatch an officer, arrive at a chaotic scene, advise a trainee on the proper way to search a building or run a staff meeting.  This awareness is a major step in seeing our critical role in the success of our agency’s mission, no matter what our position, rank, or function.

This program explores how true leaders can get the best from their people while at the same time combating the effects of routine, organizational stress and the roles imposed on them by bureaucracy. “Leadership for Optimal Performance” is one of the most unique law enforcement training experiences available today, and is appropriate for all personnel, from dispatchers and recruits to chiefs and sheriffs.

“Training For the Risk Thermostat” premiered at the 2001 ASLET Conference in Orlando, Florida and was later introduced into the Calibre Press “Street Survival” seminar in 2004.  Risk is phenomenon that law enforcement officers actively seek in their lives. Traditional training has failed to recognize the need to reinforce the perception of risk in law enforcement. Each of us not only has a tolerance of and for risk, in each of us sits a need, an emotional demand for risk and it is that demand for risk balanced by our fear and knowledge and skills that gives real satisfaction to our lives and courage to react.

This course explores the effect of routine on human performance and how a lowered perception of risk increases the probability of officers taking greater risks. This course is based on current research and is a must for all agencies concerned with modernizing their training programs.

Training and Managing the Female Crimefighter:  How to Stop Being Afraid of Gender-Specific Training, Tactics, and Communication & Use Them to Your Agency’s Advantage

This course designed to provide trainers, supervisors and managers with a realistic view of gender differences and how these can be harnessed to improve performance, morale, relationships, and officer safety. 

One or two instructors with guide students through an intensive, interactive training that will provide attendees with updates and information they can employ to improve and enhance both the professional and personal lives of their staff, their co-workers, and themselves.  We start with the history of women as warriors and then add gender-specific science and leadership principles that anyone can use to help their employees avoid the “victim-based mentality” and learn to truly motivate and improve morale. The multi-media format keeps students on the edge of their seats while we provide tips and tactics that attendees can use to foster better organizational communication, enhance their training and mentoring programs, and adapt for their own personal use long after the conference has concluded. 

We’ll discuss training, equipment, off-duty survival, mentoring, defining success, relationships, pregnancy on the job, learning to forgive but not forget, and how to truly make yourself a leader in your organization and help others do the same. This course will inspire, motivate, and encourage you to help the women and the men of your organization to excel and to win, regardless of assignment! 

“Training a New Generation” was premiered at the 1999 State of Florida High Liability Trainers Conference to high praise and extraordinary attendance. It’s not unusual to have a large number of officer trainees entering the academy who have never been in a fight in their lives. To get them to a high level of success and performance is the same as it has always been…understand their strengths and weaknesses and use the one to eliminate the other.   In “Training A New Generation” Dave examines societal & generation changes that affect the law enforcement profession & helps trainers and managers work more effectively with “Generation X,”  “Generation Y” (“The Millenniums”).  Officers starting today are a technology savvy, inquisitive generation of young people and the potential is remarkable if leaders and trainers will step up and evaluate traditional methods of leading and training from the standpoint of using experiences and technology to improve performance.  This course can also be presented as “Supervising A New Generation” for supervisors and managers.  This program has proven to be a powerful organizational team-building event!

“Buck Savage and The Power of Positive Annoyance” was developed by Dave for the Colorado Chapter of the National Association of Field Training Officers in 2005.  Ever wondered where “Saw Drunk, Arrested Same” and “Watch The Hands” came from?  In this multi-media presentation, Dave takes students through the “birth” of Officer J.D. ‘Buck’ Savage of the Arizona Department of Public Safety.  From his days as a nameless character utilized by his alter ego Sgt. Dave Smith to entertain and teach recruit officers at the academy through Buck’s nearly 30 years of video immortality, this course quickly turns from pure entertainment to an unforgettable  lesson in leadership, risk-taking and organizational change.  Students will not only review the timeless officer survival lessons taught by “Officer Savage” but they will learn how to utilize Dave Smith’s “Power of Positive Annoyance” to benefit themselves and their agency.

“The Winning Mind for Organizational & Career Survival” combines many of the essential learning elements from all that Winning Mind Seminars has to offer.  Because true ethical standards begin with effective leadership, we’ll start with the principles of true “courageous leadership” and learn to apply them consistently to the decision-making process.  In the classroom environment, students will encounter modern ethical dilemmas from ranging from encountering bribes to the use of force and beyond.  Through spirited discussion and classroom participation, students will learn to the skills to resolve ethical issues effectively and courageously. They will also be introduced to “victim-based thinking” and how not to fall prey to a victim-based culture despite the necessary bureaucracy of working in any government organization

We will then apply the “Principles of Interaction” helping students to establish a personal mission, discover the differences between “Management” and “Leadership,” learn how to create an “atmosphere of trust” and so much more.  Students will understand why the inability to successfully interact with those we work with is the most common obstacle to becoming a truly effective, dynamic leader, regardless of rank.  We will look at gender-specific science, brain function, and body language and the instructors will elicit conversation, explore individual concerns, and tackle realistic obstacles to leadership and personal job satisfaction through effective communication.

We will conclude this one or two-day course by giving each participant the necessary insight into reaching optimal levels of human performance in life & death confrontations. By looking at the key components of peak performance, we present an entertaining & inspiring block of instruction designed to given men & women the mental edge they need to not only face threats on the street but also the stresses they may confront in their daily lives.  This course will help everyone; regardless of their experience, rank, or duty optimize their odds of winning any confrontation.

“Career and Tactical Survival for Women” is one of the most unique and popular courses offered by the “Winning Mind Seminars” team.  Sgt. Betsy Smith guides students through one or two days of intensive, interactive training that will provide attendees with updates and information they can employ to improve and enhance both their professional and personal lives. We start with the history of women as warriors and then add gender-specific science and leadership principles that women can use to further their careers and improve their lives off the job. The multi-media format keeps students on the edge of their seats while we provide tactical updates and skills demonstrations that officers can easily adapt for their own use long after the seminar has concluded.  We’ll discuss off-duty survival, family relationships, pregnancy on the job, how to make yourself truly “promote-able,” and many other groundbreaking topics. This course will inspire, motivate, and encourage women to excel and to win, regardless of assignment!  This course can also be presented in a two-instructor format.

“What Did You Just Say?!” A Real World Guide to Organizational Communication is the one of the most popular courses offered by “Winning Mind Seminars.”  This one-day or half-day course taught by Sgt. Betsy Brantner Smith, offers a unique mix of motivation, leadership, body language awareness and real world communication skills designed to enhance your organization’s ability to “accomplish the mission,” both on the street and in the station.  The fast-paced, multi-media format immediately gets students attention and keeps them engaged while we provide tips, tactics and information that anyone can easily adapt for their own use long after the seminar has concluded.   The principles explored in this course are a realistic and dynamic look at truly incorporating effective communication skills into all aspects of law enforcement, from dispatch to supervision, from patrol work to investigations.  This course will go far beyond the usual in-service training and teach everyone to really communicate!  This course can also be presented in a two instructor format for additional impact!

“Safe at Home:  Off Duty Safety and Survival for Police Officers and their Families” was first presented at the 2006 “DT at Sea” conference sponsored by RRB Systems International.  Sixteen percent of police officer murders occur off duty.  Sgt. Smith has authored numerous articles on this topic and offers a course like no other that can be attended not only by police officers but by their spouses, partners, and older children as well.  This class teaches officers what off duty threats they may face and how to respond safely and tactically, and then goes even further, helping them to teach their families how to stay safe and respond appropriately when the unthinkable happens.  We also discuss family firearms safety, officer ambush, and how to bring your family into “our world” in a safe and healthy manner.  This is an outstanding breakout session for any conference or an ideal in-service class to offer to all members of your agency and can be presented in a two or four hour format.  It can also be combined with our Married to a Crimefighter” course for a day of great training and entertainment for police officers and their spouses and partners, and can be presented in a two-instructor format.  This course can also be customized as an off duty survival/emotional survival course for law enforcement personnel only.

“Married to a Crimefighter” Police work is notoriously hard on marriages and families.  Cops have a 75% divorce rate, a high rate of alcoholism, and we die twice as often by our own hand as we do in deadly force assaults. Issues such as effective communication, what cops really do at work, off-duty survival, domestic violence, balancing control at home, and making peace with a work-related critical incident are just a few of the topics we’ll discuss in this fast-paced, entertaining presentation.  Facilitated by a Betsy Smith, a police sergeant, mother/step-mother of four, and wife of a former police lieutenant, this workshop will provide attendees with resources, networking opportunities, and a chance to share their experiences with others.  This is a perfect course to offer for spouses at any law enforcement conference or in-service training.

“Beyond the SWAT Team, Developing and Utilizing Teams Throughout Your Agency” was debuted to rave reviews at the 2003 American Society for Law Enforcement Trainers conference. “Team Building” is an oft-used but rarely implemented catch-phrase in law enforcement circles.  This four hour workshop explains the true nature of a law enforcement team including the strengths and weaknesses of working in a team atmosphere, and how to build, train, manage and revitalize a team.   Emphasis is placed on overcoming obstacles and developing leadership within the team environment. This course is a great stand-alone workshop or can be combined with any of our leadership or communications courses and presented in a one or two instructor format.

“Tactical Intervention” was a course developed from a highly acclaimed article written by Dave and Betsy Smith titled “When Good Employees Do Stupid Things.”

As we continually work to professionalize law enforcement, we have less and less tolerance for bad behavior, both on and off duty, and inappropriate sexual escapades, drunk driving, and other legal, moral and policy violations that used to be “swept under the rug” are now front page news when committed by a cop. But what happens when an otherwise good employee commits an act of stupidity that lands him or her right in the middle of a serious investigation? How should the agency handle the before, during, and after, and how can this behavior be prevented in the future?

“Tactical Intervention” is a no-nonsense course that teaches all police employees how to “intervene” in a fellow employee’s bad behavior, including poor officer safety or other dangerous behavior, on or off duty.   This course can be taught in a two or four hour block and can be combined with any of our communication or leadership courses for a dynamic day of training that all  your employees will rave about.

Career & Officer Survival for Dispatchers A Dispatchers Guide to Officer Safety & Survival from the Other End of the Radio

Cops and dispatchers are trying to do essentially the same job from two very different locations and perspectives; we often have separate rules, dissimilar shifts, and frankly, neither one of us truly understands the other, but we’re all trying to serve our community and keep it, and ourselves, safe.  This interactive, multi-media training course will give dispatchers the opportunity to truly see, hear and feel what is happening on the street and learn how their actions, instincts and expertise can play a vital role in police officer safety and survival.  Some of the topics we’ll cover are high risk v. low risk, traffic stops, officer positioning, organizational and personal communication, and shift differences, all from an officer survival perspective.

We’ll help you understand “cop-speak” and learn how to “expect the unexpected,” all while learning to survive and thrive in the unique communication center atmosphere.

Nearly 150 police officers are killed in the line of duty each year; fifty-nine thousand are assaulted, over sixteen thousand suffer injuries.  A dispatcher can be a police officer’s life-line in a dangerous encounter.  This training will give even the most seasoned dispatcher new insight into their impact on a patrol officer’s daily mission as well as their survival.  This course can be combined with elements from our other courses such as “What Did You Just Say” and “The Winning Mind for Organizational and Career Survival” to provide a comprehensive day of motivation, leadership and teambuilding.

This one-day class is for school officials, teachers, police officers, school resource officers, detectives, juvenile detectives, and gang officers   Learn the tools proven to reduce gang activity and violence in and around grade schools, middle schools, high schools and Universities by gang experts.  Blocks of instructions will include:

• Identifying existing problems in your schools
• Dealing with school administration
• Dealing with uncooperative parents
• Gang identification and documentation in schools
• Gang recruitment in schools
• Student’s rights and Due Process
• Gang education and specific training for parents, staff/teachers

• Alternative school programs

Gangs in Schools: Prevention to Investigation was developed and is presented by Dom Cappelluti, Street-Strategies, Inc. and it is part of  his one-day topic specific seminar series.

This two-day course will provide the investigator with strategies to vigorously target, investigate, interview/interrogate, prosecute and prevent resurgence of criminal street gangs. The program will equip the investigator with the knowledge and tools to “attack” organized gangs by using a multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional approach. The concepts taught in this course have been used to effectively dismantle gangs and take back communities.

• Understanding today’s gang alliances and their growing social network
• Gangs in schools
• Effective street interviewing
• Conducting gang investigations- graffiti to homicide
• Being successful in the interview- getting confessions from
• Strategize your follow up attack- eradication strategies

This interactive, multi-media session will give attendees the insight they need to bridge the gap between line personnel and the dispatchers and call-takers that support help them and help everyone see, hear and feel what is happening on both sides of the microphone.  As public safety organizations, we must recognize that the actions, instincts, and expertise of a good dispatcher can play a vital role in police officer safety and survival and managers can bring both sides together to work as a team.

A dispatcher can be a police officer’s life-line in a dangerous encounter.  This workshop will give everyone who attends new insight into bringing those on the street and those in the communications center together, and will be tailored to your organization.

This course will provide additional insight on:

• Helping dispatchers understand officer survival tactics on and off the street
• Recognizing the unique stressors dispatcher face on every tour of duty
• Applying “warrior ethos” to the dispatch function as well as the entire organization
• Defining respectful and “tactical” communication techniques for all personnel
• Bringing dispatchers and officers together before, during and after a critical incident
• How you and your personnel can communicate effectively within your organization…really
• Helping personnel understand and appreciate gender and generational differences
• Learning to manage and use “conflict” to become a truly functional team
• And so much more!

“Officer Survival” is the thread that runs through the entire day as we start with the history of women as warriors and then add gender-specific science and leadership principles that women can use to further their careers and improve their lives off the job. The multi-media format keeps students on the edge of their seats while we provide tactical updates and skills demonstrations that officers can easily adapt for their own use long after the seminar has concluded.  We’ll also discuss off-duty survival, family relationships, pregnancy on the job, how to make yourself truly “promote-able,” and many other groundbreaking topics.  During this intense session students will also be exposed to:

• The simple essentials of maintaining a great attitude
• How to leave behind the “victim-based” mentality
• Why and how to embrace a warrior mindset regardless of your career path
• Recognizing and taking advantage of the differences between men and women
• Learning to communicate effectively with everyone in the agency, and in your life
• Embracing your responsibility for your own tactics, training, and survival
• How to bring your family into your world to enhance off duty safety and your relationships
• Finding and using the best female-specific equipment available
• Learning to lead regardless of your place in the agency
• How to increase your awareness and overcome the complacency that kills
• How to assess your own career and come up with a plan for real success
• Why fear is a “gift” that should be controlled and exploited for officer survival
• How to truly embrace “the brotherhood” of law enforcement and stand together

This training is like no other in that it encourages women, and those who train and supervise them, to look beyond the anecdotal, “that’s-the-way-we’ve-always-done-it” world of learning and utilize science, physiology and proven methods and information that will help anyone in law enforcement improve their career and their survival.   Sgt. Smith’s philosophy of “teaching by storytelling” cites real-world, inspirational examples of courageous men and women whose stories stay with the attendees long after the class has concluded. The atmosphere created in the classroom encourages students to network and gain strength and information from each other, making this session a powerful day for all involved.  This course will inspire, motivate, and encourage women to excel and to win, regardless of assignment!

Counseling law enforcement officers can be uniquely challenging for the therapist. Policing is a demanding and often dangerous profession and its practitioners develop coping skills, and a physical and mental toughness, in order to meet those demands and dangers. Ironically, the very skills that enable them to survive street encounters often wreak havoc at home, in their personal lives, and within the political structure of their agencies. They can also be obstacles standing in the way of successful therapy.

In this course you will be introduced to the mindset and world of the cop, how they can impact the officer’s emotional and relational well-being and common obstacles you may encounter treating a police officer. And you will be introduced to the strategies and practices of a “Cop Friendly Therapist” designed to build rapport and respect between therapist and the police client, and to overcome the obstacles to successful therapy.