Leave No Victim Behind IV National Training Conference

The University of Oregon, Oregon Police Department and the California Victim Compensation Board are pleased to announce the Leave No Victim Behind IV national training conference for 2019. The conference will take place on October 21 – 23, 2019 at the Conference Center of Las Vegas. The Leave No Victim Behind conference series will continue its focus on best practices for responding to mass violence and unique partnerships between law enforcement and victim services to assist victims of crime.

This year’s conference theme is long-term recovery of communities following mass violence incidents. The conference dates follow the second anniversary of the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 1. Las Vegas was specifically selected as the conference location to allow participants the opportunity to observe how a community continues to meet the needs of victims, survivors, and responders of a large-scale mass violence incident on a long-term basis. Participants will hear from responders and victims of the Las Vegas Route 91 Harvest Festival regarding their recovery process over the last two years.

Conference sessions will include presentations on long-term recovery from responders and victims of the Virginia Tech shooting, the bombing of Pan Am Flight #103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, the Boston Marathon bombing, and more recent incidents such as the Borderline Bar shooting in Thousand Oaks, California. Speakers will share best practices, challenges, and their personal experiences.

The conference agenda will also feature a panel of survivors of law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. The nation has witnessed a discouraging trend in law enforcement deaths, and communities are seeking assistance with responding to and coping with the aftermath.

Information regarding resources and technical assistance provided by the federal Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), school grants, and nonprofit organizations will also be presented.

Conference attendees will include law enforcement, victim service providers, first responders, community-based organizations, campus officials, crisis response teams, emergency management professionals, and behavioral health specialists. This year’s conference is the fourth installment in the Leave No Victim Behind series and will build upon the excellence demonstrated in prior conferences, which in the past have been supported by local, state, and federal partners, including OVC and the Oregon Department of Justice.

This one-of-a-kind gathering of experts and responders provides essential training for the multiple professions that help victims and communities recover and heal from mass violence incidents. In addition, the conference provides opportunities for networking, information sharing, and collaboration. Check back often to the website for updated information: https://center.uoregon.edu/uosafety/2019/. Information regarding conference hotels, special rates, and travel can also be found on the website.