Wednesday, February 12
8:00 am – 12:00 pm
Police Resiliency and Critical Incident Mindset
Joshua Bitsko

The cost is $25/person for this session ONLY (if you are interested in attending the full Winter Training Conference, information can be found online, here).

As one of three officers to breach the door and make entry into the suspect’s room during the 1-October 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.

Joshua Bitsko is a retired captain from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. He has been a law enforcement professional for 23 years, and has held a variety of positions to include 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 15 years of teaching both law enforcement employees and community members. Josh responded to the largest mass shooting incident in US history, the 1 October Massacre, as a tactical element. Josh was one of three people to breach the suspect’s door and led a team of officers to make entry and clear the suspect’s room. Josh was also the incident commander over a mass stabbing incident on the Las Vegas Strip, as well as the recent mass shooting at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. This gives him unique insight on both the stressors of being on the front lines during an active shooter, and the pressures of leading a police response when lives are at stake. He has spoken around the country about the 1 October massacre, to include to the Secret Service at the White House. After action de-briefs and trainings often fail to include the emotional aftermath of our first responder community in the years following critical incidents. Josh can provide personal insight into the struggles of post-traumatic stress, and strategies to assist in processing trauma. Through his first-hand experiences, Josh can not only provide guidance and training for law enforcement professionals facing the most extreme critical incidents, but also describe the mindset necessary for proper critical incident preparedness, response, and processing the aftermath.