Dover Police Participate in Legal Updates Training

Committed to staying informed about changes to laws and updates in current criminal procedures, Dover Police Chief Peter McGowan recently completed a Law Enforcement Liability In-service Training, held November 19 at the Police Station in Dennis, MA. The Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association (MIIA), property and casualty insurance provider for all of the participating municipalities, provided the training free of charge. The full-day session served not to only educate the 28 participating officers, but also to help minimize potential liability issues and save money on their towns’ insurance premiums.

The interactive course covered the latest developments in motor vehicle and criminal law and helped clarify the often complicated jurisdictional procedures faced by officers in their day-to-day jobs. Training participants learned how to best address vehicle stops out of town, handle misdemeanor suspects from other towns, and deal with off-duty jurisdictional issues. They also heard about new cases related to Operating Under the Influence and receiving a stolen vehicle, as well as discussed developments in a range of crimes such as obstruction of justice, sexual offenses, domestic violence, gun possession, and drug and alcohol related offenses. Participants also examined procedural updates related to vehicle stops, strip searches, Miranda rights waivers, and human trafficking.

John Scheft – founder of Law Enforcement Dimensions, LLC and author of widely-used manuals on motor vehicle law, criminal law and juvenile issues – conducted the training. Upon completion of this and other MIIA risk- and loss-prevention programs, participating municipalities are eligible to receive insurance premium credits through the MIIA Rewards Programs, reducing costs of property and casualty insurance.

According to Chief McGowan, the opportunity to attend a class led by Scheft is always welcome. “His wealth of knowledge, coupled with his practical applications of the law, makes the flood of case law that comes down from the courts on a regular basis more easily manageable,” McGowan said. “The training was so beneficial, we sent an officer to the December training put on my MIIA, also presented by Attorney Scheft.”

About MIIA

MIIA is the non-profit, member-based insurance arm of the Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) insuring nearly 400 cities, towns, and other public entities in the state. In fiscal year 2012, nearly 8,000 city and town employees participated in nearly 400 MIIA-sponsored technical trainings and management seminars offered throughout the state. Member municipalities' efforts yielded more than $2.6 million of premium credit collectively through the MIIA Rewards incentive program for a 10-year total of over $17.3 million. For more information please visit www.emiia.org and www.mma.org.

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