The Office of the Attorney General and the Mississippi Department of Public Safety invite you to the inaugural Mississippi Public Safety Summit. The Summit aims to unite law enforcement, fire services, first responders, and those involved in the criminal justice process to network, learn and discuss pertinent issues and best practices.

When crafting the agenda and deciding on topics and speakers, our goal was to provide attendees with inspiration and a renewed sense of support among peers who deal with many of the same occupational challenges. Our offices have worked with many leaders and entities, both private and public, from all around the country to develop a Summit where relevant topics will be presented in an engaging format conducive to constructive discussions, including:

Leadership
Recruitment & Retention
Crisis Communication & the Media
Opioid Crisis
School Safety & Mass Shootings
Cyber Security

The 2023 Public Safety Summit has been approved for 21 CEU hours and 18 CLE hours; including an ethics hour.

Agenda and Speakers

The Summit will run all day on Monday, May 8 and Tuesday, May 9 and into the afternoon on Wednesday, May 10. To see the full agenda, click here.

Featured speakers include:

Tim Ballard, Founder, Operation Underground Railroad

Tim Ballard began his career with the CIA and then spent over a decade working as a Special Agent for the Department of Homeland Security where he was deployed as an undercover operative. He has worked every type of case imaginable in the fight to dismantle child trafficking rings. He has worked undercover in the United States and in multiple foreign countries to infiltrate child trafficking organizations. In 2013, Ballard and a team of former government operatives left their careers to go about the work of saving children as a private foundation. Read more here.

Dr. Kent Wessinger, Interim Chair, Department of Music at Delta State University

Having spearheaded decades of focused research and data collection, Dr. Wessinger understands employee behavior intimately, as well as the surgical approach to winning in our current business environment. Utilizing his proprietary research and successful implementation experiences, Dr. Wessinger will strategically help you achieve the following:

Shift from recruiting to attracting top talent
Solve your employee retention crisis
Mitigate cross-generational conflict
Create a leadership pipeline

Read more here.

David M. Cooper, Former Command Master Chief, SEAL Team Six

In 1987, Dave Cooper earned a bachelor's degree in molecular biology and entered the military, specifically to become a US Navy SEAL. During his 25-year career, Dave spent nearly 19 of those at the prestigious Naval Special Warfare Development Group, conducting combat operations throughout Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. For his distinguished service, Dave earned numerous unit and personal awards, to include a Silver Star, 6 Bronze Stars with “V” devices, 2 Distinguished Meritorious Service Medals, 2 Meritorious Service Medals, 4 Presidential Unit Citations, and numerous other joint and individual awards. Read more here.

Paula Davis, JD, Founder and CEO, Stress & Resilience Institute

Paula is the author of Beating Burnout at work: Why Teams Hold the Secret to Well-Being & Resilience, which was nominated for best Spring 2021 book by the Next Big Idea Club. Her expertise has been featured in The New York Times; O, the Oprah Magazine; The Washington Post; and many other publications. Read more here.

Josh Campbell, Correspondent, CNN

Josh covers national security, law enforcement, cyber security, and intelligence as a correspondent with CNN. He can often be found deployed to the scene of critical security events worldwide, helping lead the network’s breaking news coverage of issues involving counterterrorism and public safety. Prior to joining CNN, Josh was a Supervisory Special Agent with the FBI, conducting counterterrorism, kidnapping, cyber, and counterintelligence investigations. Read more here.

Brian Reeves, Illusionist

Internationally known, award-winning illusionist, Brian Reeves is a world champion of close-up sleight-of-hand magic and People’s Choice Award winner for stage magic. He was voted an audience favorite by the attendees of his TedX Talks and is the author of Ignore the Impossible: Problem-Solving with a Magician’s Mindset and Metamorphosis: Transform Your Leadership. Read more here.

SSA Bradley Hentschel, Supervisory Special Agent, FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit

In his role with the FBI, Brad provides case consultation on both FBI and non-FBI cases as well as deployment to mass casualty events for post-attack analysis. His investigative experience includes counterterrorism and civil rights, including hate crimes and human trafficking. In addition to casework, Brad served for 8 years on FBI SWAT teams in Alaska and Mississippi. He is a recipient of the FBI Medal of Excellence, Top Cop, and the Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA) Director’s Award. Read more here.

Registration

The registration fee for the Public Safety Summit is $300 per attendee and you may pay by debit/credit, eCheck, or mail-in check. Once you have registered, you will receive a confirmation. When you arrive at the Summit, you can pick up your name badge and welcome bag, with the daily agendas, speaker bios, and other materials at the Registration Table.

Scholarships are available upon request.

Or complete and mail this form along with your check (payable to: DPS) to:

Public Safety Summit Registration
Attn: Jenna Bass
16743 MS-67
Biloxi, MS 39532

If you have any questions or issues or would like to request a scholarship, please contact:

Jenna Bass
256-654-1788
JLBass@dps.ms.gov

Patty Pettis
601-359-9685
Patty.Pettis@ago.ms.gov

Lodging and Accommodations

The Summit will be held at the Sheraton Flowood, The Refuge Hotel & Conference Center. Room blocks have closed, but please here are some lodging options:

Sheraton Flowood, The Refuge Hotel & Conference Center
2200 Refuge Boulevard, Flowood MS 39232
Room Block Closes Sunday, April 23!
Call 601-936-4550 or click here.

Staybridge Suites Flowood – Northwest Jackson
2620 Lakeland Drive, Flowood MS 39232
Room Block Closes Monday, April 24!
Call 601-952-3234 or click here.

Best Western Plus Flowood Inn & Suites
1004 Top Street, Flowood MS 39232
Room Block Closes Monday, April 24!
Call 601-420-4944 or click here.

Home 2 Suites by Hilton Jackson Flowood Airport Area
105 Hospitality Drive, Flowood MS 39232
Room Block Closes Monday, April 24!
Call 601-909-4000 or click here.

If you have any questions or issues, please contact:

Jenna Bass
256-654-1788
JLBass@dps.ms.gov

Patty Pettis
601-359-9685
Patty.Pettis@ago.ms.gov

Sponsorship Opportunities

Platinum Sponsorship - $7500

All Platinum sponsorship opportunities have been taken.

Diamond Sponsorship - $5000

All Diamond sponsorship opportunities have been taken.

Gold Sponsorship - $4000

Speaker Sponsor: Six (6) Available – Each includes four (4) Summit registrations, name announced before the session, 'Thank You' sponsor signage at the event, logo on the agenda, opportunity to provide business cards for each welcome bag, and vendor table in the Summit area.

Silver Sponsorship - $3000

Panel Sponsor: Eight (8) Still Available – Each includes four (4) Summit registrations, name announced before the session, 'Thank You' sponsor signage at the event, logo on the agenda, opportunity to provide business cards for each welcome bag, and vendor table in the Summit area.

Bronze Sponsorship - $2000

Vendor Table: – Includes two (2) Summit registrations, 'Thank You' sponsor signage at the event, logo on the agenda, opportunity to provide business cards for each welcome bag, and vendor table in the Summit area.

Small Giveaway Sponsorship

Sponsor provides at least (300) giveaways with your brand for welcome bags. Sponsor receives one (1) Summit registration. Must provide to DPS by April 28th.

Door Prize Sponsorship

Value of Door Prize - $50 - $299: The sponsor can attend the Summit on the day the door prize is raffled and can randomly draw the winning ticket and present the winner with the door prize. Must provide to DPS by April 28th.
Value of Door Prize - $300 +: Sponsor receives one (1) Summit registration and can randomly draw the winning ticket and present the winner with the door prize, your logo will be on the agenda. Must provide to DPS by April 28th.

For more information, please contact:

Jenna Bass
256-654-1788
JLBass@dps.ms.gov

Patty Pettis
601-359-9685
Patty.Pettis@ago.ms.gov

Public Safety Summit Awards

At the Summit luncheon on Wednesday, May 10, we will be honoring four Mississippi public safety professionals for their outstanding work. Nominations will be made by their peers as follows:

Governor's Medal of Valor for First Responder of the Year: Sheriffs, Police Chiefs, and Fire Chiefs may nominate for this award.

Law Enforcement Officer of the Year: Sheriffs and Police Chiefs may nominate for this award.

Firefighter of the Year: Fire Chiefs may nominate for this award.

Prosecutor of the Year: District Attorneys may nominate for this award.

Please return your nominations to nominations@dps.ms.gov by 5:00 pm on Friday, April 21. If you have any questions, please contact Jenna Bass at jlbass@dps.ms.gov or 256-654-1788.

Mississippi Governor's Public Safety Awards Nomination Packet

Speaker Handouts

Agenda and Speaker bios

AGO Resources Request form

FBI Handout May 10

Mississippi Cyber Initiative

Mental Wellness Panel Public Safety Summit Handout

MS Ethics Commission Police Chiefs Training

When Heros Need Help Healing

When Heros Need Help Healing Brochure

IACP Application