Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Speaks and New Leaders Take Hold
The third and fourth days of the National Sheriffs Association annual conference at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville were packed with exhibits, a speaking program, and the annual banquet installing the new board members for 2019-2020.
Monday’s general session was an opportunity for candidates for various board membership slots in the NSA to make their case known to serve an organization of professionals. Each candidate for the various board slots was given a few minutes to speak to the delegates in attendance. Regardless of which part of the nation they come from, each of the candidates for board membership presented their solutions to improve the state of policing amongst America’s Sheriffs.
During the annual session Judge Gary Moore along with NACO announced a new joint task force to reduce jail recidivism via health care. This task force would target pre-trial detainees and end the inmate exclusion for Medicaid coverage and also provide coverage to individuals who are not convicted. The first two days of the NSA conference provided numerous breakout sessions to attendees on the topics of health care in jails and medicated assisted treatment.
Kevin McAlleean, Acting Secretary, United States Department of Homeland Security was the keynote speaker of the general session. McAlleeaan thanked NSA members for the continued partnership between local law enforcement and the DHS and focused his remarks on border security stressing the May 2019 border statistics. “This is a crisis unlike anything I’ve seen,” said McAlleean. 144,000 crossed the Southern border during May 2019 according to McAlleean. 90 percent of the crossings were illegal and 1,036 were crossing as one group in the El Paso, Texas area. 72 percent of the enforcement actions were relating to unaccompanied children and family units.
Part of the general session was paused on Monday when NSA Executive Director Jonathan Thompson was alerted of a shooting that happened at a federal building in Downtown Dallas.
The final two days of the NSA conference brought attendees to the exhibit hall at the KICC. American Police Officers Alliance was able to talk to numerous exhibitors about the organization’s mission and listened about trends affecting the law enforcement industry.
Tuesday evening brought the close to the NSA conference with the annual banquet. Sheriff Darron Hall of Davidson County, Tennessee was elected NSA President for the 2019-2020 term. Hall becomes the 78th President of the NSA and will focus his term on decriminalizing mental illness, improving jail accreditation standards, along with defending the mission and values of the NSA.
We are honored to be part of the 2019 NSA conference and look forward to returning for the 2020 installment in Tampa, Florida.
