Meet our amazing line up of subject matter experts and practitioners from around Washington that will be presenting at the conference this year!
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Michelle Bennett - M3 Academy
Presenting Workplace Civility and Building Your Leadership Toolbox
Michelle Bennett worked for the King County Sheriff’s Office from 1990 to 2021. She held a variety of progressive leadership assignments within the Sheriff’s Office. Most notably, from 2004-2014, she was the Chief of Police for the City of Maple Valley Police Department, and from 2016 to 2019, she was the Chief of Police for the City of Sammamish. Michelle retired in January, 2021 as Major in charge of Strategic Planning and Coordination for the King County Sheriff’s Office. In March of 2021, Michelle was selected as the interim chief for the City of Edmonds, and in September of that year was selected for the permanent chief position.
Michelle is a graduate of Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command, Session 235, and of the FBI National Academy, Session 247. From 2019-2020, Michelle was the President of the King County Chief’s Association. Michelle has also served as the elected Alumni Representative for the Northwestern University Alumni Association. From 2019-2021, Michelle served as the FBINAA Washington State Executive Board President.
Michelle is an adjunct college professor, and has been teaching at various colleges and universities since 1998. She has also been teaching anti-bullying and cyber-bullying classes for workplaces, colleges, government organizations and secondary schools and parents since 2001. Michelle has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Law and Justice, a Master of Science Degree in the field of Psychology / Organizational Development and Behavior, and a Doctorate in Education (Dissertation topic was on bullying), with an emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction.
She is the proud mother of three boys and a girl (including twins), who range from ages five to 19 years-old.
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Mike Sommerfeld - Pierce County Prosecutor's Office
Presenting Preparing for PRA Litigation and Public Records Act Expert Panel
Mike Sommerfeld is a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in the Civil Division of the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office and lead attorney for that office’s Government Operations and Litigation Team. He advises Pierce County agencies on Public Records Act (PRA) and Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) compliance, conducts trainings for county personnel, and represents Pierce County in public records disputes and litigation. Since 2010 he has litigated numerous Public Records Act cases in superior court as well as before the Court of Appeals. He previously served as primary legal counsel to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department advising on general law enforcement agency matters including public records compliance. He joined the criminal division of the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office in 1994, where he litigated a variety of criminal cases at the trial and appellate levels, including before the Supreme Court. He joined the civil division of that office in 2010. He received a bachelor’s degree from Whitman College and is a 1993 graduate of Willamette University College of Law.
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Jeffrey Beazizo - Lake Stevens PD
Presenting Leadership and Accountability in Law Enforcement Support Services
Chief Jeffrey Beazizo grew up in Skagit County, Washington. He was hired by the Washington State Patrol (WSP) in June 1990 as a Communications Officer then hired in March 1992 as a Trooper Cadet. He was commissioned in 1993 as a Trooper. During his career, he received the honor of being named WSP District VII Trooper of the Year in 1998, 2001, and 2002. He received the WSP Award of Merit in 2000 for saving the life of an individual who set themselves on fire. He promoted through the ranks, rising to the rank of Lieutenant in Snohomish County before retiring in 2015 after serving 25 years. He also served as the Assistant Commander for the WSP's Rapid Deployment Force providing border security during the 2010 Olympics and responded to numerous protests, community events, and Presidential Security Details. After his retirement from WSP, he served with the Monroe Public Schools from 2015-2017 as Safety/Risk Management Officer at K-12 school district focusing on school safety, security, and emergency preparedness.
Chief Beazizo was hired by the Lake Stevens Police Department in May 2017 and served as the Support Services Division Commander. He was promoted to Deputy Chief on May 1, 2021, overseeing Support Services Division (Traffic, Marine, Evidence, Police Support Services, and School Resource Officers), Operations Division (Patrol), and Investigations Unit. Chief Beazizo was the Public Information Officer and oversaw the Department’s Fleet, Training, Office of Professional Standards, and the City of Lake Stevens’ Emergency Management. During his tenure with LSPD, Chief Beazizo received the Chief’s Leadership Award in 2017 and FBI-LEEDA Trilogy Award in 2020. Chief Beazizo attended the University of Charleston West Virginia’s Organizational Leadership Program and received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Organizational Leadership in December 2021.
Chief Beazizo has lived in Lake Stevens since 2001, is married to his beautiful wife Heidi, and they have three wonderful children.
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Janet May - Sound Employment Solutions
Presenting Employee Evaluations, Coaching & Counseling and Managing Difficult Conversations
Janet May is a founding partner of Sound Employment Solutions, LLC, a consulting firm that focuses on training, team building, conflict resolution, and organizational development to help employers and employees build sound employment relationships. Janet has over 30 years of experience in the labor and employment law field and has represented both management and labor. She began her career as an associate in the Labor and Employment Law Group of the Bogle and Gates law firm. She served as Labor Counsel for the Washington State Nurses Association prior to joining the Seattle City Attorney's Office in the Employment Law Section. She served as the employment and labor attorney for the Seattle Police Department prior to co-founding SES. Janet received her Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from Arizona State University and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a law degree from the University of Washington. Although still in good standing, Janet is not currently practicing law and the firm is not a law firm.
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Shannon Turner - FileOnQ
Presenting Property and Evidence Management: 101 - Back to Basics and Property Evidence Best Practices Panel
Shannon Turner has spent her entire career working in various aspects of the criminal justice system in Washington State. She discovered her passion for criminal law in 1981 when she worked for a criminal defense law firm. In 1984 she was hired by the Benton County Prosecutor’s Office and spent 11 years there. She worked in several divisions, with specialized training and expertise in child victim forensic interviewing and victim advocacy. In 1994 she was hired by the Kennewick Police Department as an evidence technician and crime scene investigator, then in 2001 she transferred to the Pasco Police Department in the same capacity. In 2004 she joined the private sector, working for FileOnQ to assist agencies in the U.S. and Canada to improve their evidence management methods through updated technology. In 2010, Shannon also started her own independent consulting business where she offers expert witness services in civil litigation as well as consulting services for law enforcement. In 2022, Shannon was appointed to be the new instructor for the 40-hour Property and Evidence Management Class offered by the Criminal Justice Training Academy. She is passionate about all things evidence and enjoys sharing that passion with agencies. .
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Heather Ging- Kirkland PD
Presenting Property Evidence Best Practices Panel
Heather Ging has over 10 years of experience working the Law Enforcement community in 3 different states. She began her career in Arizona where she worked in Records for Flagstaff Police Department. In 2015, Heather moved to Washington and started her path in Evidence and Property at Everett PD. While in Washington, she met her husband, who is a Chief in the Navy, which led her to move to California, where she worked for Escondido PD in Records. However, California wasn't for them, and they came back to Washington in 2019. Since then, Heather has worked Records for King County Sheriff's Office and joined LEIRA. But Heather's desire to be back in Evidence, led her to Kirkland PD in 2020, where she continues to enjoy all things evidence as an Evidence and Crime Scene Technician. Heather currently holds certifications as a Property and Evidence Technician and Forensic Crime Scene Technician.
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Emily Cain - Battle Ground PD
Presenting Property Evidence Best Practices Panel
Emily Cain has been working in the law enforcement community for almost 20 years, 10 of those years being in evidence with the Battle Ground Police Department. Prior to that she worked various positions for the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. Emily is a mother of two young girls, 10 & 5 and enjoy creating stained glass art, going to concerts and riding motorcycles!
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Erica Meeks - Lakewood PD
Presenting Property Evidence Best Practices Panel
Erica Meeks is currently the Evidence Supervisor for the Lakewood Police Department. Prior to that she was a records specialist with Tukwila Police Department for 7 years. She has been with the department for over 16 years. Erica is married with two children, a plethora of animals and her hobbies include reading, binge watching shows and true crime podcasts. Presently, she sits on the LEIRA Executive Board as a director, a site auditor with WASPC LEMAP and is a member of WHIA and IAI.
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Ed Claughton - PRI
Presenting Workplace Civility and Building Your Leadership Toolbox
Ed Claughton, founder and president of PRI, is a former police lieutenant who specializes in police information management compliance and operations. He provides training and consulting to agencies throughout the U.S., helping them to manage records and evidence according to legal requirements and best practice. Ed has worked with various agencies in Washington, including the Vancouver Police Department, where his firm was contracted to build a new Records Unit from the ground up.
Ed holds a master’s degree in criminal justice, and is a certified auditor and public records manager. PRI is a proud sponsor of LEIRA and has provided various training programs to its members.
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David Doll - WASPC
Presenting Accreditation, Audits & Inventories for Evidence and Accreditation & Audits for Records
David Doll is currently the Training and Education Coordinator for WASPC. David recently retired as Chief of the Bellingham Police Department where he served since 1984 in a wide range of assignments including patrol, K9, school resource officer, investigations, organizational/field training, bicycle patrol, first level and middle management leadership. David has served as an Accreditation Commissioner for WASPC and has successfully mentored both large and small agencies seeking accreditation. David holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, has instructed for IACP's "Leadership in Police Organizations," and is a graduate of Northwestern University's School of Police Staff and Command.
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Kirsty Jones - Whatcom County Sheriff's Office
Presenting Accreditation, Audits & Inventories for Evidence
Kirsty Jones is the Records/ID Administrator for the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, where she oversees all things related to records and property/evidence, from creation, retention, to disposition as well as public records requests. She’s developed a broad overview of records and information management in the public sector.
A self-described “records nerd,” she has long been fascinated by records management and its impact on history. Had she known you could get a degree in RIM, she probably would have! Instead, she came to the records world via emergency 911 dispatching after a brief stint in adult education.
Kirsty received her MEd in higher education as well as a BA in history from the University of North Texas. She is a Certified Records Manager, (CRM), Information Governance Professional (IGP) and Certified Information Professional (CIP). She is also a Certified Public Records Officer (CPRO) in the state of Washington and holds the GARA certificate from NAGARA.
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Amity Locken - WSP
Presenting Property/Evidence Packaging
Amity started her career with the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office in 2001 as a Crime Scene/Evidence Technician. In addition, she handled Crime Scene/Evidence for both the Skagit County Interlocal Drug Enforcement Unit and the Skagit Multi Agency Response Team. In 2015 she joined the team at the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab in Marysville where she handles evidence and administrative duties, as well as provides evidence training to law enforcement agencies statewide.
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Leslie Turner - FreeDoc
Presenting Disaster Preparedness & Recovery and Managing Law Enforcement Records for the Future
Leslie Turner is a Certified Records Manager with decades of experience in records and information management, and began working with electronic records in 1985. Yes, that was pre-Windows! As a self-proclaimed “Records Goddess”, she has spent the past 20 years working with public records and government, most recently as a Public Records Administration Consultant with FreeDoc. Previous experience includes 11 years with the Washington State Archives where she served as an Electronic Records Management Consultant working with state and local agencies statewide. She has provided many training and educational sessions related RIM topics to other professional groups and associations in Washington State, and has held multiple educational sessions at NAGARA national conferences. Leslie was the lead for the Washington State Archives in the RFP and development of the statewide master contract for Enterprise Content Management. Ms. Turner is now “recreationally retired” but continues to engage with the RIM community.
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Morgan Damerow - Attorney General's Office
Presenting BWC Best Practices Panel and Public Records Act Expert Panel
Morgan Damerow serves as a Consultant for the Office of the Attorney General’s (AGO) LGCP. The LGCP is the Office’s Local Government Consultation Program. In this role, Morgan provides guidance to local governments on responding to public records requests, helps to develop resources, and identify technology options related to public records. Morgan frequently provides training to local governments and speaks to conference participants. In 2022 he was appointed to serve as the AGO’s Open Government Ombuds, expanding his work to include providing information and training on the Open Public Meetings Act, providing information on both laws to public inquiries. He joined the AGO in 2003 and is a 1997 graduate from the University of Montana, School of Law.
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Mike Smith - Deputy City Attorney for the City of Tacoma
Presenting BWC Best Practices Panel and Public Records Act Expert Panel
Michael Smith has served as a Deputy City Attorney for the City of Tacoma in the capacity of the Police Legal Advisor since 2006. In his role as Police Legal Advisor, he provided legal advice throughout the launch of body worn camera program at the Tacoma Police Department in 2020. He currently provides legal advice to the body worn camera Public Records Analysts as they address many sticky public disclosure scenarios. Michael received his B.S. from the University of Idaho in 1995 and his J.D. from Gonzaga University School of Law in 1998. He began his career at the King County Prosecutor’s Office in 1998. His experience there included working in the Criminal Division for the District Court Unit, the Juvenile Unit, and the Felony Drug Unit. He also had experience working in the Civil Division as the Truancy and Becca Bill Prosecutor and the Employment Section where duties included advising King County Sheriff’s office on employment matters.
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Mandi Caldwell - Whatcom County Sheriff's Office
Presenting BWC Best Practices Panel
Mandi Caldwell earned her Associates Degree in Paralegal studies in 1998 and began working for a private criminal attorney. In 2001, she began working at the Whatcom County Prosecutor’s Office as a legal assistant. Throughout her 20 years at the Prosecutor’s Office, she worked in all three criminal divisions: District Court, Juvenile Court and Superior Court. In October of 2021, Mandi began working at the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office as an ID Technician specializing in Body Worn Cameras. Her 20+ year career in criminal law helped prepare her for working with BWC videos in regard to knowledge of Public Disclosure Laws as well as preparedness for viewing graphic scenes. Being the BWC technician for the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office has been the best job she never knew she wanted and loves facing the new challenges and experiences every day!
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Jeanne Johnson Jacobs - Everett PD
Presenting Public Records Act Panel
Jeanne began her career in law enforcement with the Everett Police Department in 1980 (Jimmy Carter was in office!!). Jeanne worked the radio for five years and then began promoting up the support services chain of command, while managing its 24/7 operation coupled with serving as EPD’s liaison for its regional evidence unit. In 1997 she was promoted to the rank of Support Services Manager and became responsible for EPD’s risk management, high profile public and media public records requests, litigation, legislative impacts, and is part of the Police Administration team. Jeanne developed EPD training curriculums for coaching and counseling employees, performance evaluations, supervisor responsibilities, performance management, managing administrative - personnel files, etc.
Today, Jeanne serves as Everett Police Department’s Public Disclosure Manager and oversees its public disclosure unit. In 2009, the Snohomish County Multi – Agency Response Team (SMART) developed a public records team and Jeanne was assigned as its public records officer and she remains in that role today. The SMART team investigates officer involved use or force incidents, in the line of duty deaths, etc., officer involved shootings, etc., within Snohomish County, etc. Since 2009, Jeanne has processed 70 SMART cases (and associated civil litigation). Jeanne is responsible for processing all Everett Police Department’s internal investigations in response to public records requests, litigation, submittal to Washington State Criminal Justice Training Center. High profile public disclosure requests include, Everett Police Officer charged with homicide, Bikini Baristas – Prostitution and money laundering, 2014 Marysville Pilchuck High School Shooting, and the original 911 Ground Zero Flag that had been stolen and was turned into Everett Fire Department. In 2023, Jeanne received the Everett Police Department’s Certificate of Merit award in recognition of her dedication to duty and leadership of its public disclosure unit.
Jeanne served two terms as LEIRA President, in 2007 was awarded LEIRA’s Judy DeMello Outstanding Achievement Award and its Lifetime Membership, served as secretary for the Washington State Records Officers Association (WAPRO). Jeanne served many years as an assessor for WASPC for both accreditation and LEMAP, is a member of the WASPC, and serves on its legislative committee. Jeanne currently serves as LEIRA’s Legislative Chair. Jeanne serves as the public records trainer for the SMART team and has presented its concept at the National FBI academy. Jeanne plans on retiring in the summer of 2023 and traveling with her husband Greg, in their motorhome with their beloved Mastiff, Domino!
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Julie Ubert - Lake Stevens PD
Presenting Public Records Act Expert Panel and Sealing/Expunging Records
Julie Ubert is currently the Administrative Manager with the Lake Stevens Police Department. Julie began her career as a Records Specialist in 2004. Her background includes extensive experience with police records management, accreditation, policy and procedure, budget planning, and public records disclosure. Currently overseeing Police Records and Volunteers, Julie is also the accreditation, policy, and budget manager for the Department.
Julie served as the Treasurer for the Washington State Law Enforcement Information and Records Association (LEIRA) for over ten years and in 2019 received their Lifetime Achievement Award. Currently, she serves on her counties Records Management Committee and is a Certified Accreditation Assessor with WASPC. Additionally, she is an instructor, both locally and nationally, for CJTC, LEIRA, PRI Management Group, HER Element, and Authentic Development.
Julie holds a bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management from Washington State University and brings a unique perspective on balancing technology and workload in records management.
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Cathy Munoz - City of Cheney
Presenting Public Records Act Expert Panel and Accreditation & Audits for Records
Cathy Munoz worked for the Cheney Police Department for 31 years, retiring from law enforcement as the Director of Communications. In 2021. Cathy became the Records Manager and Public Records Officer for the City of Cheney and continues to handle police records. During her time at the police department, she was responsible for all aspects of the non-commissioned operations of the department including a secondary PSAP and police dispatch center, records, technology, budget and purchasing, training and jail administration. Cathy served as ACCESS TAC for multiple agencies for 21 years and guided various agencies through twenty-one 100% compliant user and technical audits. In addition to her police department duties, Cathy also served as the City of Cheney Information Technology Department Director from 2009-2013. Cathy holds a BA- Education from Eastern Washington University. Cathy is a WAPRO Certified Public Records Officer, teaches beginner Public Records classes for LEIRA and CJTC, assists WASPC with LEMAP and accreditations, and serves on the LEIRA Executive Board.
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