2021 President's Message
Greetings! It truly is an honor to serve the Minnesota Division of the International Association for Identification as its President in 2020 and now 2021 as well. I am excited to see what this time brings not only in membership for the MNIAI, but also for the exciting changes that have been happening and will continue to occur throughout these years and at the 2021 Annual Conference. Unfortunately, our 2020 conference had to be cancelled due to Covid-19 concerns.
By way of introduction, please allow me a moment to assist you in getting to know me. I grew up in Bloomington, MN and am an alumnus of Jefferson H.S. After attending and graduating from UMD, I began my law enforcement career in January of 1997 in Lakewood, CO, as a Patrol Officer. In September of 2000, my family and I moved “home” to Minnesota and settled in the St. Cloud area. I worked for the St. Cloud Police Department as a Patrol Officer, SRO, Director of the Crime Lab, and Criminal Investigator. Beyond investigations, my expertise is in Crime Scene Processing and cell phone data extraction and analysis using Cellebrite, JTAG, ISP, and Chip Off technologies. I also served on the St. Cloud Police Department’s SWAT team for 12 years where I served as Assistant Team Leader and Sniper Team Leader. However, after nearly 20 years with St. Cloud Police Department, I recently made a career switch and began working for the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office as a Crime Scene Unit Detective. Additionally, I am a Certified Crime Scene Investigator and Certified Latent Print Examiner through the International Association for Identification. I live in the St. Cloud area with my wife and four children.
I would like to say a word of thanks to former President Jeff McMackins and the entire Board of the MNIAI for a fantastic annual conference held in Alexandria, MN, in 2019! The hands-on training, speakers, and case studies were fantastic. I would also like to thank all the men and women who attended the conference and made it a great time of networking and fun! (not to mention the most well-attended business meeting I’ve ever seen with the MNIAI 😊)
At the 2019 conference, I was able to give those in attendance a survey asking everyone’s preference as to where they would like to see the 2020 conference held. The clear winner was Duluth, followed by Mankato. As mentioned, our 2020 conference had to be cancelled due to Covid-19. However, the 2021 conference will still be held in Duluth, MN, from September 8th-10th at the Inn on Lake Superior in Canal Park! This is a beautiful venue you will not want to miss. Our main presentation at the conference in 2021 will be the investigation on the Jayme Kloss kidnapping and homicides of her parents. This high-profile case will no doubt be intriguing and beneficial for all in attendance.
You also may have heard that the MNIAI now has a Facebook group. Please take a moment to request membership to the FB group where we can connect and share questions, ideas, techniques, as well as updates on the conferences. Simply search for MNIAI on FB and you should have no trouble finding the group.
Thank you for visiting our website and for your involvement in the Minnesota Division of the International Association for Identification!
I look forward to seeing you in September of 2021!
Nik Smith
Anoka County Sheriff’s Office
2020-21 MNIAI President