Wednesday | 6/04/2025

**All Courses will be held in Pine Ballroom 2 & 3, unless otherwise noted**

"Police Resiliency - Las Vegas Music Festival Shooting Case Study" | 8:15 AM - 10:15 AM

Description:

As one of three officers to breach the door and make entry into the suspect’s room during the October 1 Massacre in 2017 in Las Vegas (the largest mass shooting incident in US history to date), Josh knows the feelings police officers are taught to feel, and the feelings he actually felt during that incident.

Fear, anxiety, and uncertainty are REAL, yet seldom talked about in the law enforcement and first responder community. If we are not honest with our first responders about the reality of what their emotions will be IN the moment, they will struggle to manage those emotions not only in the moment, but the years after. Josh is passionate about his goal of “Preparing your workforce FOR the moment, IN the moment!”

​Because of this experience, as well as many others over the course of his career, Josh provides training for law enforcement and first responders that addresses:​

• The intense emotions you’ll experience before, during, and after responding to a critical incident.

• Coping strategies (backed by data science) first responders can employ in the moment of a critical incident.

• Coping strategies post-incident.

• Ways law enforcement and first responder agencies can improve the wellness of their workforce post incident, and how agencies can minimize the impact of internal stressors on the workforce.

Presenter: Joshua Bitsko has been a law enforcement professional for 23 years and has held a variety of positions, including K9 Handler, K9 Training Sergeant, Detective Sergeant, Internal Affairs Lieutenant, Policy and Procedure Lieutenant, Commander of the Las Vegas Resort Corridor, and Commander over the Health, Wellness, and Safety Bureau.

He has a BA in Public Administration and is an experienced instructor with over 18 years of teaching both law enforcement employees and community members.

Besides responding to the October 1 Massacre, Josh was also the incident commander over a mass stabbing incident on the Las Vegas Strip. This gives him unique insight into both the stressors of being on the front lines during an active shooter, as well as the pressures of leading a police response when lives are at stake.

"Legislative Updates" | 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM

Location:

Lakeshore 2 & 3

Description: This presentation includes updates from the recent 2025 legislative session.

Presenters: Christine Zimmer and Bill Hutton

Christine Zimmer established Zimmer Consulting, LLC in 2016. Christine has over 30 years of experience in all aspects of government relations. She provides strategic planning, government relations services and other political consulting.

Bill Hutton is a seasoned public safety professional with over four decades of experience in law enforcement, government affairs, and community-based public service. He currently serves as a Government Affairs Specialist for the Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association, where he provides subject matter expertise on law enforcement policy and advocates for public safety on behalf of Minnesota’s 87 elected Sheriffs.

Prior to this role, Hutton was the Executive Director of the Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association from 2017 to 2023, where he led statewide legislative initiatives, coordinated educational programming, and provided direct support to Sheriffs and their staff. From 2007 to 2017, he was the elected Sheriff of Washington County, overseeing a full-service agency with more than 400 personnel (Full-time and volunteer) and managing key public safety initiatives for a county of over 250,000 residents.

Earlier in his career, Hutton served as a Police Captain in Oakdale, Minnesota, and as Executive Director of the Forest Lake Area Youth Service Bureau, where he worked to connect youth and families with needed services and early intervention.

Hutton holds a Master of Arts in Public Safety and Education from the University of St. Thomas and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. He also earned a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin–River Falls.

"Chief Deputies Roundtable" | 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Description:

Rick Hodsdon will discuss timely and pertinent topics facing Sheriffs and sheriffs' offices, including data practices, personnel matters, criminal prosecution, and civil litigation.

Presenter:

Rick Hodsdon, MSA General Legal Counsel, spent 33 years with the Washington County Attorney’s Office in Stillwater, Minnesota, where he was assigned to several divisions and served ten years as the first assistant. Then, and now, Rick deals with numerous aspects of government operations including data practices, HIPAA, the sheriff’s office, personnel matters and criminal prosecution, gun laws, and civil litigation. Rick has also been the Minnesota Sheriffs' Association legal counsel since 1987. Rick is on the faculty of Northwestern University Police Command School and teaches throughout the United States on matters of employment law and criminal justice issues. He is also an executive member of the National Sheriff's Association Legal Affairs Committee and works with and advises several other national law enforcement and legal organizations.

Rick has a J.D. and master’s degree in public administration and is admitted to practice before the courts of Minnesota, 8th Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court.