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Welcome to the MNIAI website!

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Chartered in 1964, the Minnesota Division of the International Association for Identification (MNIAI) holds an annual educational conference devoted to continuing education for the forensic sciences, crime scene investigation and identification fields. Typically held in the fall, the conference is two-three days long.

​Forensic Supervisor Success Summit

Name: Forensic Supervisor Success Summit
Location: Virtual event - online
Cost: FREE
Dates: September 18-21, 2023
Description:  A free online event to help you create a unified forensic team with less conflict and more productive conversations
Registration webpage: https://forensicsupervisorsuccess.co


Here's the flyer for this event.

2023 Educational Conference News
​Save the dates
(course instructors, times and dates are subject to change)

LOCATION: The Inn on Lake Superior, 350 Canal Park Drive, Duluth, MN 55802
PHONE: (218) 726-1111 - tell them you are with the MNIAI conference when you                   reserve your sleeping room
DATES: October 4-6
HOTEL SLEEPING ROOMS - SPECIAL MNIAI RATES:
2 Queens Pool-view: $174.99 + tax

2 Queens/Sofa Sleeper Cityview: $181.99 + tax
2 Queens/Sofa Sleeper Bridgeview Balcony: $187.99 + tax
King/Sofa Sleeper Bridgeview Balcony: $187.99 + tax
2 Queens Lakeview: $195.99 + tax
King/Sofa Sleeper Lakeview: $195.99 + tax
2 Queens/Sofa Sleeper Lakeview: $199.99 + tax


The deadline to reserve a sleeping room at the Inn on Lake Superior with these special rates has passed. A room might be available at their regular rate.

Registration for the conference is now available!

Click this link to go to the Conference Registration page or click the tab above.

Registration deadline is Friday, September 29, 2023 at 8:00 PM Central Time

POST Credits: 17     POST Course Number: 09027-00029​
​

Course offerings:


WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2023
  • ATF Search Enhanced Evidence K9: Utilizing Canines to Locate Evidence (Lecture and outdoor demonstration [weather permitting])
    - ATF, Special Agent Canine Handler Nic Garlie - 12:30-1:30
  • Introduction to Fire Scene Investigation - Minneapolis Fire Department, Fire Investigators Larry Oker and John Fernandez - 1:30-2:30
  • Pathology of ​Asphyxia - Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office, Assistant Medical Examiner Amanda Spencer - 2:45-3:15
  • ​Blunt Force Injuries and Injury Patterns - Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office, Assistant Medical Examiner Amanda Spencer - 3:15-3:45
  • Justice for Stupid - Lakeville Police Department, Detective Scott Frame - 3:45-5:00
  • *Rehydration of Aged Latent Prints on Non-porous Surfaces (Research Project) - Hamline University, Assistant Professor Jamie Spaulding with Student Co-Presenter Indigo Rowland - 4:00-4:30 (*Concurrent with Lakeville PD Justice for Stupid Case Study)
​
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2023
  • ​Route 91 Harvest Festival Mass Casualty Investigation - Skydio, Inc., Senior Manager - Public Safety Marketing Noreen Charlton​ - 8:30-10:30
  • Vicarious Trauma - The Things We Aren't Meant to See - Conscious Healing Counseling, Jamie Mosley, LPCC, CDWT, ACS and Dr. Katy Karas, PhD - 10:45-12:00
  • ​*Processing and Preservation of Latent Prints in the Field - Workshop - MN BCA, Forensic Scientists Jessica Hunt & Tonya Lindbery with BCA Special Agent-Retired Janet Nelson - 1:00-4:00 (*Concurrent with Courtroom Testimony, Uber/Lyft Case Study and Ghost Guns, Auto Switches, etc.) - NOTE TO PARTICIPANTS: bring a fingerprint field kit, a flashlight, digital camera and tripod.
  • Courtroom Testimony and Expert Disclosures in Federal Court - US Attorney's Office - MN, Senior Litigation Council LeeAnn Bell - 1:00-2:00
  • ​Case Study: Uber/Lyft Investigation - Minneapolis Police Department, Sergeant David Ligneel - 2:00-3:00
  • Ghost Guns, Auto Switches, etc. - Minneapolis Police Department Forensics Division, Forensic Scientist II Aaron Zirzow - 3:15-4:15
  • Jeanie Childs Cold Case - Minneapolis Police Department, Quality Administrator Mark Ulrick and FBI Special Agent-Retired Chris Boeckers - 4:15-5:30

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2023
  • Detect More Evidence: Extend Your Search Beyond the Visible (Lecture and Workshop) - Foster + Freeman, Technical Sales Specialist Amanda Silva - 8:00-10:00
  • *Backyard Burial - St. Paul Police Department, Forensic Scientist III - Quality Assurance Specialist, Raschael Ellering and MN Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Forensic Scientist II, Ross Thomas​ - 8:00-9:00 (*Concurrent with Detect More Evidence Workshop)
  • *Trajectory Reconstruction - Midwest Regional Forensic Laboratory, Forensic Scientist III/Supervisor N. Scott Henderson - 9:00-10:00 (*Concurrent with Detect More Evidence Workshop)
  • DNA Lecture/Workshop - MN Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Forensic Scientist II, Ross Thomas​ - 10:15-11:15
  • Lafontaine Homicide Case Study - Dakota County Sheriff's Office, Sergeant Ryan Fitzgerald and Captain Joshua Fahey - 11:15-12:15
  • Conference Conclusion: submit course evaluations & name badges - 12:15

Click HERE for a printable copy of the full conference agenda. 

Check out President Richsmann's President's Message.

Sponsor/Vendor contributions
of door prizes ​for our
​2023 MNIAI Educational Conference Banquet

Click the images to visit their websites

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Sponsor/Vendor participation with display booths at our
​2023 MNIAI Educational Conference

(active links imbedded in images)

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                      We're on Facebook!
  • Click the Facebook icon found in the upper right corner of this page.
  • Log into Facebook and you'll be there! (The group name is MinnesotaIAI)​ ​
​                                        Check it out!

And now...a word from one of our Sponsors
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President's Message
Divisional Board of Directors
MNIAI Membership

MNIAI Online Store

MNIAI Challenge Coin
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                                 Heads                            Tails
MNIAI Coin

News and Info From the IAI

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Begun in 1915, the International Association for Identification (IAI) is the oldest forensic science organization in the United States and one of the oldest in the world. The IAI is dedicated to the development of the forensic sciences and to the continued education and certification of practicing forensic scientists and crime scene investigators.

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The IAI  
Keeping You Informed
  

For your information - timely deadline

From: Jon Stimac
​

​Here is your initial notification that if you plan on submitting an article for the next issue of IDentifcation News, I will need your submission before September 8.
 
ID News is published quarterly; therefore, this next issue will be for October/November/December 2023. Additionally, this will be the last issue of 2023.
 
For those overseeing IAI Committees or Boards, please let your respective chairs and secretaries know the importance of disseminating any developments and/or changes via ID News!
For your convenience, the following is a working schedule for each quarterly issue of ID News:
  • Issue 1 Jan/Feb/Mar - deadline for submissions: December 1
  • Issue 2 Apr/May/Jun - deadline for submissions: March 1
  • Issue 3 Jul/Aug/Sep - deadline for submissions: June 1
  • Issue 4 Oct/Nov/Dec   deadline for submissions: September 8

Technical notes: Approximately 520 of your typed words are equivalent to 1 full page within ID News. If your submission includes photos, please send each separately from your article.

As always, I greatly appreciate your continued assistance!

Regards,

Jon Stimac, Editor

Stephen Greene’s recent OSAC article

id_news_vol_53_no_02_osac.pdf
File Size: 1319 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


IAI Forms the Division Interaction and
​Affairs Committee

​My dear friends and fellow members of the Minnesota Division of the IAI,

The IAI has decided to make the “Division Affairs Committee” a permanent standing committee, per the By-laws:
 
Section 8.20 Division Interaction & Affairs Committee.
(a.) Purpose. This committee shall advise the President on the support of and advocacy with the
divisions.
 
(b.) Composition. The committee shall consist of an odd number of members with a minimum of three
(3) to a maximum of seven (7) members. The Chairperson shall be the Division Representative. All other
members shall be appointed by the President by October 1 after assuming office. The term of
appointment for the appointed members shall last until September 30.
(c.) Voting. All the members of the committee, to include the Chairperson, shall have the right to vote at committee meetings.
(d.) Other duties. The Committee shall perform such other duties as the President shall prescribe.
  
2022-2023 Appointed members
Kelly Ayers, WV, USA - Chair                 
Larry Stringham, FL, USA      
Mike Wisniewski, OH, USA
Jason Cole, VA, USA
Brian Dew, NC, USA
Penny Dechant, AZ, USA
Kasey Gizler, PA, USA

 It is my pleasure to have the Minnesota Division to be one of my appointed Divisions to provide outreach too as a member of this committee.
 
As you can see, the Division Representative (Kelly Ayers) has been assigned as the chairperson for this committee and appreciates your communication with her to include completing the yearly survey of your Division operations, as it is shared with the IAI Board of Directors and Officers at the yearly IAI conference.  As the chairperson, Kelly is always happy to provide any communications between the IAI and your Division. Also, as your assigned committee member, I hope to add a more personal touch providing you with any assistance and being an advocate for your concerns to the IAI parent body. Please feel free to reach out to either of us at any time to assist the Minnesota Division in any way we can.                       
 
So, what’s new?
With the success of the Inaugural 5k Race/ Fun Run in Omaha, we were able to make a little bit of money to give back to the Divisions.  While my initial intention was to assist some Divisions in having a representative attend the IAI Annual Conference, it was thought these funds could better assist the Divisions as their needs dictate. It maybe a few hundred dollars to bring in a special speaker to your conference, or maybe cover a loss due to unforeseen circumstances like COVID, Hurricanes or other natural disasters.  Using these funds as more of a pool of money that Divisions can request similar to a Grant process to further your Division in whatever your needs. The process to get these funds is still TBD but we are hoping to have guidance before the new calendar year.
 
We are currently working with the Chesapeake Bay Division to plan another 5k Fundraiser at next year’s conference In National Harbor.  With a more extensive planning timeframe, we are hoping to get more sponsorships and awareness.  We still attempt to keep the costs down for participants and want to make sure our liabilities and required cost don’t outweigh the benefits, so this event is still tentative.
 
At the same time we are attempting to be creative and come up with other fundraising ideas such as “dunk your favorite/or not so favorite, IAI personality” in a dunk tank at the conference.  Your input is important to us and we appreciate any constructive feedback or ideas.
 
So what’s been done?
Beyond monetary support, we are still interested in your concerns and ways to improve the IAI/ Division relationship.  In the past year we have also taken the feedback from so many of the Divisions by adding links to how a Division can apply to host the International conference on the conference website, https://www.theiai.org/conference.php

If a Division wants to consider hosting an IAI conference in the future… https://www.theiai.org/docs/Annual_IAI_International_Educational_ConferenceR.pdf
 
In addition, the IAI Conference Planner, Candy Murray has offered her services to assist any divisions by reviewing any hotel/conference center contracts and provide guidance back to your division.  She can be reached at: iaiconferenceplanner@theiai.org. The IAI Educational planner Heather Connor is also available to provide suggestions for your speaker program: iaiedplanner@theiai.org
 
Hopefully the fact that this Special Subcommittee has become a Standing Committee is also a demonstration of the IAIs dedication to improving your Division.
 
I look forward to continuing assisting your Division in the coming year.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out with and questions, concerns or comments.  I will always do whatever I can to assist your Division.
 
All the best,
Jason Cole

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MNIAI Charter Member, past MNIAI President,
​Secretary/Treasurer and Historian
and 
past IAI President (1970-1971)
John Douthit passed away on May 15, 2019; one month and a day
​after his 99th birthday.

John was the oldest living member of
both the MNIAI and the IAI.
Rest in Peace, John


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