Dr. Julie Campbell
criminal justice program director, 308.865.8510
International drug enforcement and stalking will be featured topics at the 20th annual Criminal Justice Conference at the University of Nebraska at Kearney on Monday, April 6.
Keynote speakers include Section Chief Gary Phillips and criminal behavior profiler Gary Plank. In addition, there will be a career fair for UNK criminal justice majors.
“We have different career fields such as law enforcement, corrections probation and parole, and juvenile services,” said Dr. Joseph Carlson, criminal justice professor. The conference, which is free and open to the public, will take place in the Nebraskan Student Union Ponderosa Room.
Two morning sessions will cover “Investigative Methods and the Role of U.S. Law Enforcement in the International Narcotics Trade,” presented by Phillips. The first session begins at 9:15 a.m., and the second, at 10:45 a.m.
Phillips is employed at the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center in Washington, D.C. He has worked as a Federal Agent for more than 20 years and has served as an undercover investigator in the areas of narcotics trafficking, white collar crimes and crimes against children. A graduate of the Undercover Program Managers School, he has received numerous awards, including the 9th Annual United States Attorneys Award for Excellence in investigating violent crimes against children and the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Award for Excellence in Law Enforcement.
Plank, who is a retiree of the Nebraska State Patrol and the owner of Plank Forensic Services, will speak at 1:30 p.m. His presentation is titled “Stalking: It’s Not Just a Secret Admirer.”
Plank served the State of Nebraska for 24 years in the Investigative Services Division as a criminal investigator and the only behavior profiler. While working with the State Patrol, Plank developed and managed Nebraska’s threat assessment response for high-ranking government officials and celebrities, and implemented the Nebraska Sex Offender Registry and Cold Case Squad. In addition, he is one of only 34 graduates of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime Police Fellowship Program.
