Tax dollars at leisure

How are you going to keep the cops down on the farm once they’ve seen Coronado? That seems to be the question facing the federally funded National Institute of Justice, which is hosting the Technology Institute for Rural Law Enforcement at the Marriott in the distinctly upscale beachside town. “There is no registration cost and all travel, food, and lodging expenses are paid. However, only 35 individuals will be selected to attend,” says the invite about the four-day late-October get-together. The event “is designed for the command staff or supervisory personnel of rural and small law enforcement agencies containing less than 50 sworn officers. Participants will receive information and assistance on existing and developing technologies, work through problems relating to technology implementation, and exchange technology lessons learned, that are of importance to the rural and small law enforcement community.”

Scott Barker, deputy director of the Rural Law Enforcement Technology Center, said the Marriott was picked because other governmental agencies, including the institute, have used it in the past. A testimonial from Crawford Coates, senior editor of San Diego–based Law Officer magazine, who attended an event in May, touts the freebie as “Not a bad deal, especially when it’s 70 degrees and sunny, as you peer between sessions across the glittering bay at the skyline of downtown San Diego.” He adds, “There was something there for everyone, plenty of opportunity to network when class got out and the beautiful island of Coronado to explore.”