When MCTC started, there was no funding for the now popular snacks, pop and coffee. Students would pitch in $2-3 for an MCTC staff member to drive to the store and purchase snacks. Now it is funded through MCTC’s budget for free meals and lodging.

Today, MCTC is a powerhouse in the field of law enforcement and counterdrug training. They manage what seems im-

possible, provide high-quality training for little to no cost. It is hard to imagine that at one point MCTC was like “the little engine that could”. MCTC started as a concept. In 2000, the Iowa National Guard’s Counterdrug Task Force Commander, Col. Mike Gardner, wanted to open a Midwest counterdrug school to provide free training for those involved in the fight against drug trafficking and substance abuse. At the time, there were four counterdrug schools nationwide. National Interagency Counterdrug Institute (NICI) on the west coast, Northeast Counterdrug Training Center (NCTC) on the east, and Multijurisdictional Counterdrug Task Force Training (MCTFT) and Regional Counterdrug Training Academy (RCTA) in the south. The Midwest had nothing to compare.

MM C TCC TC : : T H ET H E L I T T LEL I T T LE SC H O O L H O U S ESC H O O L H O U S E T H A TT H A T C O U L DC O U L DB Y T E C H . S G T . S A R A M A N I S C A L C O

MCTC’s mission is to provide the highest

quality training for the lowest possible cost to all those involved in the fight against drug

trafficking and substance abuse.

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

Page 2- Learning to Negotiate

Page 3- MTTs on the Road

Page 4- Substance Abuse

Page 5- Instructor Highlight

Also available at www.counterdrugtraining.comAlso available at www.counterdrugtraining.com

Spring 2009

THE INFORMANTTHE INFORMANT

Did you know?

B57 7105 NW 70thJohnston, IA 50131

(800) 803-6532(515) 252-4756DSN 431-4756

FAX (515) 727-3613

No. 1, Vol. 2

‘G‘GANGLANDANGLAND’ ’ CONSULTSCONSULTS MMCTCCTC IINSTRUCTORNSTRUCTORBY TECH SGT. SARA MANISCALCO

In America, law enforcement officers are often unsung heroes. One MCTC instructor is doing his part to give credit

to the officers sworn to protect and serve. “As far as I am concerned, law enforcement and military are far more important than some-one playing ball or singing a song. They protect the lives of people,” explains Lou Savelli, a contracted MCTC instructor. Not only is Savelli an instructor for MCTC, he’s also a former officer for NYPD and a consultant for The History Channel’s “Gangland” series. “[Gangland] helps people realize what cops do. It shows my students that if their instructor is on TV maybe someone will take notice to what they do,” says Savelli. The “Gangland” series tells the inside stories of some of America’s most notorious and vio-lent street gangs. Savelli was selected because of his extensive experience in investigating gangs, drugs, undercover work and terrorism. “[Gangland Producers] were looking for

“Col. Gardner called me into his office to discuss the idea. I left the office with a legal pad with numbers of the other schools. That day was the beginning of a 3-year process to start MCTC,” explains Sr. MSgt. Brad Thomas, MCTC finance NCO and charter member of the MCTC staff. Thomas was one of the two members of the original MCTC staff. He and Spec. Randy Wagner, another task force employee, actually worked for the Counterdrug Task Force full-time. They spent half their time working for the task force and the rest taking care of MCTC classes. During the inception of MCTC funding was tight and sporadic, staffing was nearly non-existent and class sizes were small. MCTC’s original classes were offered primarily by the National White Collar Crime Center. A non-profit membership organization dedicated to supporting Law Enforcement in

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individuals who had the most connections, knowledge and experience from the West Coast, Midwest and East Coast. The three of us brought with us experience and cases to help make the “Gangland” series a reality-based, highly informative series,” says Saveli. The producers got that experience in Savelli. He is one of the most decorated officers in

NYPD history. He received more than 100 medals for bravery, outstanding police work, life saving rescues and re-cord setting investigations. He also cre-ated NYPD’s first citywide gang unit, Citywide Anti Gang Enforcement,

(CAGE) which was awarded the National Gang Crime Re-

search Center’s award for The Most Effective Gang Unit in the United States. “This experience has helped me with teach-ing because it gave me the opportunity to go back to some of the old cases,” explains Savelli. Savelli’s experience and knowledge is just another example of how MCTC contracts with instructors of the highest quality.

Law enforcement officers under-stand that when people are in times of crisis their judgment can

be impaired. They may be willing to go to great lengths to get anyone to listen. Sometimes in their desperation a person in crisis will take hostages. These situations are often life or death and need as much expertise as possible to deescalate the situation without injuries to anyone involved. In an effort to provide relevant classes MCTC offers Crisis Hostage Negotiation (CHN) Basic and Intermediate courses. “In terms of law enforcement, we have an opportunity to train before an incident, so things go well, or we can react after something goes poorly. We have recog-nized that it is much better when we train before, so it goes well,” explains Deborah McMahon, CHN instructor. The CHN Basic is a practical introduc-tory course for newly assigned negotiators or negotiators having a 5-year or more lapse in negotiation training.

In CHN Intermediate students enhance the knowledge and skills acquired in MCTC’s CHN Basic course. CHN Intermediate is a more in-depth study of abnormal psychology, high element negotiations, and advanced communication techniques. Students examine additional health disorders as they relate to crisis negotiation. These include depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Both courses focus on specific strate-gies and considerations for drug-affected subjects and/or those involved in drug related offenses. They prepare law enforcement personnel to mitigate threats involving barricaded subjects, suicidal subjects, hostage takers, and others presenting behaviors associated with victim precipitated homicide or suicide by cop. Students receive several hours of lecture and then perform a practical exercise. They assume team positions as the team leader, the primary negotiator,

OO F F I C E R SF F I C E R S LL E A R NE A R N TT OO NN E G OT I A T EE G OT I A T E DD U R I N GU R I N G CC R I S I SR I S I SB Y T E C H . S G T . S A R A M A N I S C A L C O

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Left: Staff Sgt. Joshua Michel, MCTC MTT plays the role of hostile “hostage taker.” He argues over the phone with students in the next room from the CHN Basic class. MTTs often role play to aid in the students learning experience.

Right: CHN Basic students review notes on the wall as they talk with the “hostage taker” on the phone. Scenarios take place in hotel rooms where students will have room to properly follow the series of events through note taking and planning.

the backup negotiator, the recorder and the intelligence coordinator. “We feel pretty strongly that scenario driven training best prepares officers to deal with people in crisis. Its very intense,” describes McMahon. The scenario helps students learn their responsibility in the process as well as the roles of each member of the team. They also learn to strategize amongst themselves and make decisions to resolve the crisis incident. “This gives them an opportunity for stress inoculation. Negotiating with a person in crisis is very stressful. We don’t want the first time they have to deal with a person in crisis to be a real-life situation,” explains McMahon. In addition to these two courses, MCTC has added CHN School Environment. This class explores current school violence trends throughout the U.S. and the role law enforcement plays in mitigating future threats. To learn more about the CHN courses and for a full list of MCTC courses visit: www.counterdrugtraining.com.

“We feel very strongly that scenario-driven training best prepares officers to deal with people in crisis. It’s very intense.” - Deborah McMahon

MCTC offers free training on Camp Dodge for law enforce-ment and demand reduction

professionals. However, many times potential students cannot attend training due to lack of departmental funds for transportation. That is where MCTC’s Mobile Training Team (MTT) comes in. The MTT is comprised of Iowa National Guard Soldiers and Airmen. The MTT’s mission is to ensure students receive the same high-quality training they would receive at a resident course on Camp Dodge. These one- or two-member teams represent MCTC at non-Camp Dodge classes. They do everything that the Camp Dodge staff does, but on the road. “[MTT’s] assist instructors by coordi-nating lodging and meals for students, conducting class registration, and role playing during practical exercises. Pretty much their overall mission is to provide excellent customer service,” explains 1LT Ryan Loeffenholz, MCTC Training Officer. By standing up a classes in remote areas, MCTC not only aids in the train-

ing of the local law enforcement but also all of the rural departments in the area. These agencies can benefit from training together. “The mobile training team is a huge help to law enforcement agencies. We provide some of the best counter-narcotic training available at the lowest possible cost,” says Spec. Joshua Lokenvitz, MCTC MTT. Classes are continually being held in different areas of the country. This keeps MTTs away from home often. They spend an average of 3 weeks a month on the road. “I feel this work is well worth the time and effort because we are having a direct impact on the areas of the officers we train,” explains Lokenvitz. One way the MTTs benefit classes is by getting more face time with students. They eat meals together and stay at the same hotel. “As an MTT, I can focus on just the class I’m at. I spend time talking with students to find out what type of training they need or want in the future,” explains Lokenvitz. For information on requesting a mobile training team, contact: Mr. Bruce Upchurch, MCTC Director of Training, at: bruce.upchurch@us.army.mil or by phone at: (515) 727-3600.

OO NN TT H EH E RR OA DOA D AA G A I NG A I N WW I T HI T H MM O B I L EO B I L E TT R A I N I N GR A I N I N G TT E A M SE A M SB Y T E C H . S G T . S A R A M A N I S C A L C O

MCTC: TMCTC: T H EH E LL I T T L EI T T L E SS C H O O L H O U S EC H O O L H O U S E TT H A TH A T CC O U L DO U L D

Spec. Joshua Lokenvitz, MCTC MTT, enters student information into his lap-top. It is an MTT’s job to track logistics and administration of not only the cur-rent class, but future classes. Photo by Tech. Sgt. Sara Maniscalco, MCTC Media Ops.

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to all those involved in the fight against drug trafficking and sub-stance abuse,’” explains Thomas. MCTC is accomplishing their mission and beyond. The staff is now more than 20 Soldiers and Airmen. They have their own classrooms and provide free meals and lodging for students traveling more than 50 miles. Student numbers have reached levels even the original planners could not have foreseen. In FY 2008, MCTC taught 17,400 students. “It is hard to imagine what training would be like without MCTC. How many cases would have gone unsolved and how many officers would not have received the life saving training they needed to do their jobs simply because their department did not have the funding,” says Thomas. Though MCTC seems stable now, it is still in its infant stages of development. There is still much to do before the school can be self sufficient. Currently, MCTC relies on earmark funding in or-der to operate. Every year, there is a chance for MCTC to close depending on how congressional voting goes. “It is important for students to communicate with their legislators about how important of a resource MCTC is. We worked hard to start the school. It is up to us to keep the school going,” explains Thomas.

the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of economic and high-tech crime. MCTC simply hosted the already free service. Classes were held in a dining facility of Miller Armory located on Camp Dodge. “Before we had any staff, I used to do the Admin, Logistics, Operations and Finance functions. I advertised the class, gathered the student information, printed certificates and set up the classroom. Jack of all trades, master of none, that’s how we operated until we were able to hire a staff,” explains Thomas. Over the next three years Thomas continued his research on the other schools and put together a plan on what MCTC would need to be self sufficient. This information was presented to the Iowa National Guard Directorates and National Guard Bureau. The day MCTC was authorized to hire staff came in 2003. Bruce Upchurch, a retired DEA agent and Iowa Drug Czar, be-came MCTC’s first official employee and training director. Upchurch and Thomas then interviewed and hired MCTC’s original staff of 11. In their first year of classes, MCTC taught 1,800 students. This was up from 300 the year before. “Our mission statement has not changed from the first day, ‘provide the highest quality training at the lowest possible cost

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MCTC: NMCTC: N OTOT JJ U STU ST FF O RO R LL AWAW EE N F O RCE MEN TN F O RCE MEN TB Y T E C H . S G T . S A R A M A N I S C A L C O

W ith one look at the MCTC website, you can see there is a wide variety of classes offered.

Did you know that many are not for law enforcement specialists? MCTC also conducts classes designed for substance abuse prevention specialists, and treatment personnel, School Resource Officers, School Resource Deputies and Community Trainers. “I feel it is important for those working in the drug prevention field to be aware of the affect drugs have on the human body, particularly those working with youth,” explains Bruce Upchurch, Director of Training of MCTC. Science-Based Drug Education (SBDE) is an MCTC class for specialists dealing with youth 10 to 17 years of age. SBDE is a research-based presentation on various drugs and their effects on the human body. It also looks at some of the social issues related to drug use and trafficking. “One goal of a substance-abuse specialist is to change the age of onset for usage. We educate children so they are more informed and won’t start using drugs and alcohol as young,” explains Denise

Denton, MCTC Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist Training Instructor . Denton and other drug abuse prevention specialist like her are working to reduce the need for drugs. This differs from many MCTC courses in that law enforcement based courses are reducing the supply through interdiction. “There are two sides to drug prevention: supply and demand. We try to reduce the demand so there is less need for supply,” explains Denton. Another aspect of prevention is to make it harder for people to get into drug production. Prevention professionals worked with legislation on the Iowa Anti-meth Pseudoephedrine Law. This law helped drop meth production drastically. This in turn allowed police to spend time and money on issues other than meth lab clean up. “Drug-prevention specialists are messengers. We tell people how substance abuse can affect a community’s health and welfare. We also promote pro-social, pro-health behavior,” explains Denton. During MCTC classes drug abuse prevention professionals get an

MCTC was re-cently awarded the 2009 Iowa

Behavioral Health Associa-tion’s Business Award for Substance Abuse Services. The award was presented for their support of the Iowa substance abuse pre-vention field. Mr. Bruce Upchurch and Maj. Larry Doss accepted the award on behalf of MCTC at the 2009 Iowa Governor’s Conference on Substance Abuse . This annual award is presented to an Iowa business or organization that displays excellence in supporting and promoting the substance abuse field with their employees and throughout the community.

For years, MCTC has pro-vided audiovisual equipment and technical staffing and support to the Iowa Behavioral Health As-sociation’s Training Resources Division for its hundreds of ad-diction-related seminars. Their contribution of manpower and equipment has helped save thou-sands of dollars in training costs. MCTC also coordinates keynote speakers for substance abuse seminars and conferences like the Governor’s Conference.

MCTC is an active partner with pro-grams from NIATx, CADCA, STAR-SI, and other IDPH-related initiatives. At Camp Dodge in Johnston, Iowa, MCTC hosts training for groups at low-cost and provides free meals and overnight accommodations.

MCTC WMCTC W I N SI N S SS U B S TA N C EU B S TA N C E AA B U S EB U S E PP R E V E N T I O NR E V E N T I O N AA W A R DW A R DB Y T E C H . S G T . S A R A M A N I S C A L C O

opportunity to work together to not only learn about prevention and treatment but also the future of the profession. As the war on drugs rages on, they are at the forefront of the fight. They get the opportunity to stop the abuse before it begins, as well as help those in need of assistance. “Demand reduction, through prevention and treatment, is essential in the fight against drug trafficking and substance abuse. We continue to provide training in these fields whenever and wherever possible,” explains Upchurch. Classes currently offered at MCTC for drug abuse treatment and prevention professionals include: Science Based Drug Education (SBDE), Alliance of Coalitions for Change (AC4C) work retreat, Substance Abuse Prevention Ethics, and Substance Abuse Preven-tion Specialist Training. More classes are continuously being added to the curriculum. Check: www.counterdrugtraining.com for more information on MCTC classes.

Left: Maj. Larry Doss, MCTC Officer in Charge, thanks his staff and the partici-pants of the Governor’s Conference on Substance Abuse for their support.

Below: Bruce Upchurch, MCTC Director of Training, accepts the Iowa Behavioral Health Association’s Business Award for Substance Abuse.

II N S T RU C TO RN S T RU C TO R TT E A C H E SE A C H E S T H ET H E VV A L U EA L U E O FO F VV I D E OI D E OW A D I S A W A B I N I

W adi Sawabini began shooting 16mm film as a freshman in col-lege in the 60’s. This marked the

start of his career in video. He worked as an on-camera reporter at the CBS affiliate in Burlington, VT while still in college. He then worked at an investiga-tive reporter in Rochester, NY where he used video surveillance to tell stories about criminal wrongdoing. “I have always been interested in film and video cameras and their advantages over still photography. I try to convey that enthusi-asm for camcorders to the participants in my classes,” explains Sawabini. Sawabini started his second career as a law enforcement instructor in 1991. He has taught thousands of law enforcement professionals how to use video camcorders to document criminal activity. Among his customers are the FBI, DEA, ATF, Border Patrol and ICE. “In television news, just like in law en-forcement, we had one chance to get it right. That experience taught me to plan for the unexpected. I try to instill that in my students,” he explains. For MCTC Sawabini teaches the 3-day Video Techniques for Law Enforcement Class. He has taught this course not only on Camp Dodge, but also 13 other states facili-tated by Mobile training teams from MCTC. This course is designed for students who have no previous experience with video. The class covers how to document all forms of criminal activity, from a drive-by shooting, to search warrants and low light surveillance. “In my opinion, video is simply the best way to document any kind of criminal activity. Surveillance video of a drug deal takes the jury back to the exact moment where we see and hear the transaction.

“I have seen a dramatic improvement in the quality of camcorders being used by law enforcement and that means bet-ter evidence-grade video to show the jury, ” explains Sawabini. The class also includes instruction on the use of camcorders with alternate light sources and night scopes. The audio sec-tion covers using camcorders to record interviews and interrogations, and linking a camcorder to covert audio systems. Sawabini has taught at the DEA’s Drug Commander’s School at Quantico and Fort Leonard Wood and for four Army National Guard Counterdrug School Houses. He is a member of The International Law Enforcement Educators and Train-ers Association (ILEETA) as well as The Connecticut Chapter of the International Association for Identification (IAI). His articles are published in law enforcement magazines and he has appeared on The Law Enforcement Television Network. “As an instructor, I have the pleasure of helping make a difference in hundreds of cases,” says Sawabini. He hears testimonials from his former students often. A jury in Indiana said that crime scene video shot by one of his students was the piece of evidence that led them to vote for a conviction. In another case in Missouri fraud in-vestigators used video evidence to unveil a con-man claiming to be paralyzed. Dur-ing the arrest, video lead to further charges against the con-man for posses-sion of more than $1 million. Sawabini says these cases and hun-dreds of others are why he loves to teach. To register for his or any other class visit: www.counterdrugtraining.com.

The Fine PrintThe Midwest Counterdrug Training Center (MCTC) Newsletter is part of the Iowa Army and Air National Guard’s Counterdrug Task Force located on Camp Dodge, Iowa. Information provided in this publication is intended to help law enforcement agencies improve readiness and training through MCTC. Opinions expressed or implied in this publication are not necessarily those of the Adjutant General of Iowa, Counterdrug, or the Department of Defense. The identities of our students are protected. Photos are presented with the permission of law enforcement officers or are obscured to protect their identities.

Send submissions or suggestions for this publication to: MCTC, Counterdrug (Iowa), Attn: SFC Sara Maniscalco,

7105 NW 70th Avenue B57, Johnston, IA 50131-1824. E-mail: sara.maniscalco@us.army.mil or Phone: (515) 727-3618

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Wadi Sawabini inspects hotel sheets with the help of alternate light source. Video Techniques for Law Enforcement is a hands-on course covering how to document all forms of criminal activity.

Left: An unaided view of a hotel mattress.

Right: A view of the same hotel room mattress using alternate light source. The mattress clearly shows bodily fluids.

HHEREERE ISIS YOURYOUR CHANCECHANCE TOTO SAYSAY WHATWHAT YOUYOU THINKTHINK OFOF MCTC!MCTC!

I was in attendance for The “Patrol Officer Response to Street Drugs” in November 2008 at MCTC at Camp Dodge. I wanted to let you know within the first week of being back, I was able to apply your teachings during a call where a mother was trying to get back her child in common from the child's father. Long story short, she was tweaking the whole time and based on all of her physical cues, she eventually admitted to shooting up meth a few nights before, and we were able to utilize services and get other agencies involved to assist with the child’s future welfare (the child's father was a meth user also.) I don't believe I would have been able to recognize the symptoms she was exhibiting without having taken your class, and it was an awesome feeling being able to utilize the training so quickly, I thank you very much for that.

A.C. Boone County Sheriff’s DepartmentColumbia, MO

Read more or tell us your story at:

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MCTC Rocker T’swww.counterdrugtraining.com

Officer Aaron Nelson and dog Ares, search a truck bed during K-9 Drug Detection Enhancement. See the full story in the next issue of THE INFORMANTTHE INFORMANT..

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Across

1. commonly abused hydrocodone

6. higher THC than in the 60’s

7. cannabis cake

8. liquid X

9. “synthetic heroin”

10. principal constituent of opium

14. script 2X as strong as morphine

17. veterinary medicine

18. ‘WY’ stamped pill

Down

2. kilo bricks

3. cough suppressant

4. aggressive tooth enamel erosion

5. liberty caps

6. active hallucinogenic in peyote

11. methlyenedioxymethamphetamine

12. date rape drug

13. angel dust

15. ‘huffing’

16. most abused opium product

17. Catha Edulis

SSTREETTREET DDRUGRUG CCROSSWORDROSSWORD PPUZZLEUZZLE

Answers available at: www.counterdrugtraining.com