2020 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. I am excited to see what this year brings not only in membership for the MNIAI, but also for the exciting changes that have been happening and will continue to occur throughout the year and at the 2020 Annual Conference.
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 have worked for the St. Cloud Police Department as a Patrol Officer, SRO, Director of the Crime Lab, and currently as a Criminal Investigator. Beyond investigations, my expertise is in the area of cell phone data extraction and analysis using Cellebrite, JTAG, ISP, and Chip Off technologies. I have also served on the St. Cloud Police Department’s SWAT team for 12 years where I am still involved as Entry and Sniper Team Leader. 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 such, our 2020 conference will be held in Duluth, MN, from September 9th-11th at the Inn on Lake Superior in Canal Park! This is a beautiful venue you will not want miss. Our main presentation at the conference in 2020 will be the investigation on the Jayme Closs 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 2020!
Nik Smith
St. Cloud Police Department
2020 MNIAI President