Spring 2026 MDT Training
Join us for our Annual MDT Training! MDT members are encouraged to attend.
Agenda:
8:15 - 8:45 AM Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:45 - 9:00 AM Opening Remarks and Announcements - Deborah Harrison, Executive Director of York County CAC
9:00 - 11:30 AM Sensory Awareness - Brad Flynn, Chief of Police, Retired
This session is MPOETC approved for CLEE credits
One in five individuals in the US has some type of sensory issue, whether it be autism, PTSD, early onset dementia or other psychological challenges. These invisible disabilities can cause them, specifically during an interaction with law enforcement, to act in ways that the officer may perceive as aggressive, hostile or under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Unfortunately, the rate of deadly force encounters with sensory needs individuals by law enforcement is still slowly climbing across the country and we must educate and train our officers on what to look for and how to safely interact with and de-escalate stressful and tense interactions with those living with sensory needs. This course will provide attendees with a basic overview and foundation of what exactly are sensory needs, as well as discuss the most common invisible disabilities such as Autism and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This will include discussing common physical and verbal actions exhibited by those with sensory needs that can easily be misunderstood by law enforcement as hostile and threatening. The course will then provide them with additional information and skills on how to not only safely manage an interaction with someone with a sensory need, but also how to effectively communicate with them so as to bring the contact to a safe resolution. The goal of this presentation is to generate discussion and thoughtful review on behalf of the attendees so that they will return to their agencies and update or create a sensory awareness program for their personnel.
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Lunch and Networking
12:30 - 2:30 PM Afternoon Session A
2:30 - 2:45 PM Break
2:45 - 4:30 PM Afternoon Session B
Afternoon sessions offer multiple topics to choose from - attendees should select which workshop they are interested in when registering.
Session A Workshops:
Pediatric Strangulation/Suffocation, presented by Dr. Lori Frasier, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics and Director of Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Center for the Protection of Children.
Pediatric strangulation/suffocation are forms of fatal or near fatal abusive behaviors. This presentation will focus on the current approach to pediatric strangulation cases. We will also discuss other types of cases that may not be pure strangulation but also suffocation and inflicted apnea, which are important aspects of fatal and near fatal child abuse.
Family Abduction, presented by Lilybeth Ruiz, Senior Case Manager at National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
This presentation will highlight the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s (NCMEC) role in assisting with missing child cases, with a specific focus on Family Abduction cases and the key resources NCMEC provides to parents/guardians and law enforcement to help recover missing children. It will offer an overview of the Case Manager’s responsibilities as well as the tools and services available to families and law enforcement, from the time a child is reported missing through recovery.
Session B Workshops:
- CAC Interview in Investigations, presented by Michael R. Galantino, Senior Attorney with Zero Abuse Project
Minimal Fact Interviews, presented by Dave Rush, Children's Advocacy Centers of PA
This training will cover several important topics related to how we as professionals should approach collecting information from a child regarding an allegation of abuse in initial contact and response. What questions should we be asking a child and what considerations should we take when interacting with a child? The training will also cover the importance of MDIT collaboration and communication and why these things are important to avoid traumatization of the child and creating inconsistent statements that can affect the outcome of an investigation.
