First night home last night after an amazing week of training and peer networking at LEVA 2015. Slept like a baby! So great to get a few moments with so many of you, it was really kind of emotionally & intellectually draining! lol

Below is a link to the PDFs from Ocean Systems' sessions
www.oceansystems.com/LEVA2015

Thanks everyone for your valuable time with us during the event! Hope to see you all again sooner, rather than latter. ;) All the best, LC

I've been trying to find time to post a note about last week's LEVA conference since I got back, but have just been overwhelmed with the ever expanding to-do list.  It was really great seeing a lot of long time friends and colleagues and getting a chance to learn and network with them again.  The entire event seemed to go flawlessly, as always, in large part due to the tireless efforts of the LEVA volunteers (e.g. board & officers). 

This Friday, 9/30, is the cutoff date to be guaranteed a reservation in the LEVA block at the Coeur d'Alene Resort & Conference Center.

The 2011 Annual LEVA Training Conference returns to beautiful Coeur d'Alene this year and is just a few short weeks away. Click the links below for an updated conference schedule or to register today!

» 2011 LEVA Conference Schedule (PDF)
» Register Today!

LEVA recently published their 2012 training schedule.  To view the updated training calendar visit www.leva.org and click on "Training" from the main menu.

LEVA is recognized throughout the world as the leading organization for state-of-the-art public safety video production and forensic video analysis training. LEVA has been at the forefront of providing training and professional development opportunities for Federal, State, and local public safety video professionals and organizations for many years.  To find out more, visit visit www.leva.org

LEVA's 24th Annual Conference & Digital Multimedia Evidence Training Symposium is being held in Asheville, North Carolina September 9 - 13, 2013...and conference registration is now open! Check out the conference schedule and register today!

More Info

Just a quick note to say thank you to everyone who attended LEVA’s Annual Training Conference in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho last week. It’s always great to see everyone face-to-face, and as usual the information sharing and peer networking the conference facilitates was priceless. I only wish I could’ve enjoyed more of the evening social events, but unfortunately a few factors prevented me from doing so.

I’m excited to announce that I’ll be attending this year’s 100th IAI Educational Conference in Sacramento, CA. This year’s conference is anticipated to be one of the largest, as it’s the IAI’s Centennial event. I will be there representing my employer, Ocean Systems, and we will be showcasing our latest Digital & Multimedia Evidence (DME) solutions in the event's Exhibit Hall.

For more information about the event visit the IAI 100th International Educational Conference web site. Hope to see you there!

I just wanted to thank all who attended, planned and supported the LEVA2011 Training Conference.I truly enjoyed the training and community discussion sessions.  It was great seeing everybody and meeting new peers, and in hindsight only wish I could have stayed for the evening events and more peer networking.  As always, I truly look forward to next time.  All the best. - LC

Resolution Video, Inc. recently announced a new course entitled "Courtroom Presentations Using Adobe Flash", which will be held March 10-12, 2009 in Tucson, AZ. The course will be taught by Paul Hartzell, who published a very well received article on the topic here on Media-Geek several months ago (click here to read the original article).

From day one I have sought to provide a secure online platform for Digital & Multimedia Evidence (DME) professionals to connect and share information.  For several years now, I have considered hosting an annual DME Resources Peer Networking & Training Event.

Of course, one of the many challenges is location.  Our members are from all over the world, not just the U.S. and Canada.  Naturally, this lends to "Regional" annual events, which in turn leads to Regional Coordinators, etc. 

I was out in Indianapolis briefly yesterday to teach a couple of sessions during the LEVA LEVEL 2: DIGITAL MULTIMEDIA EVIDENCE PROCESSING course, which is wrapping up another great week of DME training for law enforcement professionals today at UIndy. Such a great learning environment with a truly talented instruction and support staff. Many thanks to LEVA, the other instructors, assistants, and yet another great group of students who made me feel right at home.

Congrats to everyone and safe travels home. Have a great weekend!

Headed out the door shortly to head to Sacramento for the 100th IAI International Educational Conference. I'll be there at booth #126 representing Ocean Systems. If you'll be in Sacramento this week, stop by and see us!

I was out in Tacoma, WA last week to teach our DVR Assessment & Video Recovery course, and to provide a free seminar on Digital & Multimedia Evidence for area prosecutors, law enforcement and support staff. It was a really great class, and as always the group discussions during both the class and the seminar were really interesting and informative. Thank you to everyone who attended for their participation, and many thanks to Kim, Chris, and the entire Tacoma Police Department for being such amazing hosts.

If you missed the free seminar, we’ll be back out that way to provide it again on July 8th at the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Center, in cooperation with the Washington State Homicide Investigators Association (WHIA).

If you’re interested in our DVR Assessment & Video Recovery training course, check out our upcoming training dates and locations or contact us to inquire about hosting one of our training events.

Thanks again everyone. Be safe out there my friends!

Booked my travel yesterday for next month’s DVR Assessment & Video Recovery course at the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office in Kissimmee, FL. This 3-Day course is designed for anyone who is doing digital video evidence recovery from DCCTV systems, from those brand new to the field to Certified Forensic Video Analysts with several years of experience.

Snow on the ground again this morning here in the pacific northwest, and looking at the pictures for the hotel options in Orlando made me anxious. ;) Hope to see you in class!

A couple weeks ago I was up in Vancouver to teach Ocean Systems’ DVR Assessment & Video Recovery training course, which was hosted by the Vancouver Police Department. Many thanks to our host agency and students, as it was another great week of training and information sharing. Next week I’ll be in Miami to provide a free seminar on Digital Video Evidence on Monday morning, followed by our 3-day DVR Recovery training course which will run Tuesday through Thursday.

Digital video evidence is coming at law enforcement agencies hard and fast, and both the pace and quantity of digital video evidence continue to increase exponentially. There are so many digital video sources, each with unique challenges and issues when it comes to proper evidence collection, viewing, interpreting, presentation and management of the evidence. Training is critical for all of those involved in the entire chain of evidence, especially in a field or discipline that is constantly changing and evolving.

If you’re involved in the digital video evidence chain, below are a few training events that I’ll be at next month that you may find interesting. Hope to see you there!

May 13-15, DVR Assessment & Video Recovery, Burtonsville, MD

May 19-23, LEVA Level 1 – Forensic Video Analysis & The Law – University of Indianapolis, IN

Imaging expert Dave Helmly of Adobe will present new applications and discuss next generation possibilities during the "Imaging Supersession" at the upcoming LEVA conference. This LEVA event is the debut forum for CS4!!!!

Here is your chance to learn what is available and what’s on the horizon. You can share ideas in an open forum on imaging procedures and practices.

Click here for more information on the 2008 International Video Evidence Symposium and Training Conference!

Last week I was back in Albany, NY to provide a free seminar on digital video evidence at the New York State Police Academy, followed by Ocean Systems 3-day DVR Assessment & Video Recovery training course. It was a sold-out class comprised of both students new to the field, as well as very seasoned digital and video evidence technicians and analysts. The end result was a really great week of training and peer networking. Many thanks to all of those who attended, and special thanks to the New York State Police (NYSP) for hosting both events!

The NYSP had a new academy class under way as well, with approximately 250 new recruits marching to-and-from the various classrooms within their renovated facilities. It was very cool to see so much activity at the academy again throughout the entire week. Best of luck to all the recruits in training. Hang in there and regardless of the outcome, thanks for stepping up to the plate!

This year I helped Ocean Systems introduce a new 3-Day training class titled "Fundamentals of Video Evidence Recovery & Processing (FVRP)". The course is designed for anyone who recovers, handles, processes or disseminates Digital & Multimedia Evidence (DME), regardless of prior video evidence training or experience. 

The course is based on industry Best Practices and focuses on obtaining the Best Evidence, and learning how to quickly get accurate images & video out for investigative leads.  It is predominantly hands-on, and will expose students to various Ocean Systems and Open Source solutions that can help.

Join me July 23rd through 25th at our offices in Burtonsville, MD or for one of our future training dates.  Hope to see you in class.  Have a great weekend my friends!

http://media-geek.com/images/myblog/frontpage/imaging_work_shop.jpg

This is a great opportunity to get this three-day, hands-on workshop at a special price.* Each student will have their own computer workstation and work with Adobe Photoshop CS4.

LEVA will be providing their Forensic Imaging Techniques course May 27th - 29th, 2009 at the LEVA DME Lab, which is located at the University of Indianapolis. Visit the LEVA training schedule for the latest on all of the LEVA's course offerings.

Earlier this evening Jim Hoerricks, author of the book "Forensic Photoshop", announced the availability of a new online training course - "An Introduction to Forensic Photoshop". Jim's new online course is hosted and provided through the American Institute of Forensic Eduction, Inc..

January 26-29, 2010 the Corona Police Department will host the Ocean Systems training course "Forensic Video Analysis - FVA 101, Introduction to Forensic Video Analysis".

The learning environment consists of lectures and hands-on exercises designed to allow the analyst to become familiar with the dTective system while working on real cases. Class is limited to 10 students so click here to find out more and get registered today!

LEVA is conducting a one week hands-on forensic video analysis program in Cheshire, England, June 15 – 19, 2009. The event is hosted by Key Forensic Services, a leading provider of forensic solutions in the United Kingdom.

Digital Video Evidence: The Quest for Accuracy and Reliability is developed for the beginner to advanced level analyst. This unique program is designed to share scientific techniques and methodologies employed to ensure the accuracy and effectiveness of video evidence and to maintain its credibility in the courtroom.  For complete details click here.

Ocean Systems will be providing a free 3-hour seminar entitled "From Acquisition to Prosecution: Understanding the Value & Challenges of Digital Video Evidence" on December 8th in Miami, FL. This free seminar provides helpful information for all of those involved in the digital video evidence chain, too include prosecutors, law enforcement command staff, first responders, support staff, as well as technicians and analysts.

Brett Shavers, author and one of the main developers of the WinFE forensic boot environment, has released a free online training course on WinFE.

Online training is a great way to supplement classroom training, providing it's from a well organized and reputable source. It's great to see more options for online and flipped classroom training related to digital forensics, and I can assure you you'll be seeing even more soon! ;)

According to the FBI, digital evidence is present in nearly every crime scene.   Increasingly, this evidence is found on handheld devices such as cell phones, GPS’, iPods—and is leading investigators directly to a suspect’s door—sometimes within hours of a crime taking place.

Register now for the FBI’s Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory (RCFL) Program's free webinar for law enforcement and government officials.  Participants will learn the proper handling of handheld devices at crime scenes, basic data recovery, legal issues and more.

Questions? Send an email to npo@rcfl.gov or visit www.rcfl.gov.

I'll be in San Diego for IACP 2016 October 15th through the 18th, one of the LE industry's largest trade shows and educational events.

If you'll be attending, stop by the Ocean Systems booth (#2740) to say hello and see what we've been up to. Hope to see you there!

Headed out to Cincinnati, OH today for the IAI's 101st Forensic Educational Conference. If you're attending, stop by the Ocean Systems booth (#513) and say hello! Safe travels my friends. - LC

Intro to VirtualDub Session - Thursday @ 9:00 AM EST

This Thursday I will be leading a one-and-a-half-hour introductory session on VirtualDub at LEVA's 21st Annual Training & Development conference in Indianapolis, Indiana.

If you are an active LEVA member who is unable to attend this year's conference and would like to attend this session LIVE online, please send me an email or private message for details. There are limited online seats available.

This session will provide a brief overview of VirtualDub and the AVI file format.

Hope to see you in person, but if not…maybe I'll see you online. - LC