Conference Committee Report
by Julie Stuvland
Monroe Police Department

The spring training conference in Yakima celebrating LEIRA’s 20th anniversary
was a huge success! The host committee did a phenomenal job at making
sure every little detail was taken care of. Of course as with any event of this
size, there were a few “glitches” but the host committee worked them out
just fine.

I would like to thank everyone who took the time to fill out the conference
evaluations. These are so important to help future host committees know
what is or isn’t working for our membership and to make the conferences
both educational and fun. One of the main comments from the Yakima
conference was the lack of “refreshments” available during classroom
breaks. This is a difficult decision for host agencies since it all comes down
to expenses. Those nice cookie and coffee tables cost a lot of money, so
the host agencies are forced to decide where your registration money is
best spent. Some facilities offer deals on “snacks” – others do not (in fact
some have charged $10 to $15 per person for pop, coffee & cookies even
if not every attendee partakes!)

Our fall conference this year will be in Bellingham at the Best Western
Lakeway Inn. Our conference hosts are Bellingham PD, Lynden PD, Whatcom
Co SO and Blaine PD. The training schedule is being finalized and the
registration packets should be sent out in the next few weeks. Please
feel free to contact one of the host committee agencies or me if you
have any questions.

As always, if you have an idea for a future conference, or your agency is
interested in hosting a future conference; please don’t hesitate to
contact me.

Julie Stuvland, Conference Committee Chair
(360) 863-4562
jstuvland@ci.monroe.wa.us