Loading…
NAPD 2026 We The Defenders
We will update this page if there is any change in sessions and/or speakers. Please see the FAQ pages for any questions and take some time to save sessions to your schedule. 

Venue: West Wing Harrison Hall Conference 22 clear filter
Tuesday, October 6
 

10:30am EDT

Facing the Algorithm: AI Police Reports and Machine-Generated Evidence
Tuesday October 6, 2026 10:30am - 11:30am EDT
Machines are now helping write the record. We will start with AI-assisted police narratives: how they are made, how to spot them when they land on your desk, and how to defend against them today (what to demand: drafts, versions, prompts, logs; how to dissect raw media versus polished text). Then we will widen to other machine-generated evidence and close with a court-facing framework for a single Rule 104(a) reliability hearing consistent with the proposed Rule 707.



Tuesday October 6, 2026 10:30am - 11:30am EDT
West Wing Harrison Hall Conference 22

1:00pm EDT

The Gideon Blueprint 2.0: Building AI the Judiciary Can Trust
Tuesday October 6, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
This session tells the inside story of how one federal defender office built and governed its own AI system—fully on-premises, never in the cloud—and what that journey revealed about the future of AI in the courts. We’ll walk through how “practice-first” experimentation (Gideon 1.0) evolved into a “policy-first” governance model (Blueprint 2.0) that now informs judiciary-wide standards for fairness, transparency, and human oversight. You’ll see how role-specific guardrails, context control, and pilots turned into enforceable ethics, and why “humans in the loop” is not just a safeguard but the foundation of judicial integrity in an AI age.


Tuesday October 6, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
West Wing Harrison Hall Conference 22

2:15pm EDT

Inside the DUI Process: What the Defense Needs to Know: Part 1
Tuesday October 6, 2026 2:15pm - 3:15pm EDT
Part One focuses on promoting accuracy and integrity in sobriety testing, not discrediting officers. It walks through the phases of a DUI arrest—from observing a vehicle in motion to personal contact and pre-arrest screening—and explains the three main field sobriety tests: Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus, Walk and Turn, and One Leg Stand. Each test’s purpose, common indicators of impairment, and accuracy rates are discussed, along with the importance of following standardized procedures. By the end, attendees understand how these tests build probable cause and how mistakes or deviations from NHTSA standards can affect the reliability of the results.
Tuesday October 6, 2026 2:15pm - 3:15pm EDT
West Wing Harrison Hall Conference 22

3:30pm EDT

Inside the DUI Process: What the Defense Need to Know: Part 2
Tuesday October 6, 2026 3:30pm - 4:30pm EDT
 Part Two takes a deeper look at the testing conducted by officers. Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) represents the next level of training, building a foundational understanding of drug-related impairment and detection. The Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) program is the final step, providing officers with advanced knowledge of the signs and symptoms of drug impairment. This session helps attorneys understand how these levels of training shape arrest decisions and why properly conducted investigations are essential. It also explains the role of the DRE evaluation and its 12-step process, along with the key legal challenges to consider when these evaluations are introduced in court.
Tuesday October 6, 2026 3:30pm - 4:30pm EDT
West Wing Harrison Hall Conference 22
 
Wednesday, October 7
 

9:00am EDT

WWW Recap
Wednesday October 7, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
Most Wednesdays this past couple of years or so, Jon has provided websites that would be immediately usable to his fellow investigators throughout the US. He will share some of his favorite new websites and how they can be best utilized for your cases. Great for the whole team! Come join us!

Wednesday October 7, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
West Wing Harrison Hall Conference 22

10:15am EDT

The Basics of Criminal Investigation: Let's Talk About It
Wednesday October 7, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am EDT
Are you new or new-ish to criminal defense investigations?  Let’s talk about some of the basic of fact investigations to help you get started.
Wednesday October 7, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am EDT
West Wing Harrison Hall Conference 22

11:30am EDT

Code of Respect: Cultural Competence in the Trenches of Public Defense
Wednesday October 7, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT
Working in public defense means stepping into the lives and communities of people whose experiences may look nothing like our own. Code of Respect explores what it means to practice true cultural competence—not by claiming to know everything, but by leading with awareness, humility, and respect. This session dives into how investigators and social workers can navigate cultural differences as tools for connection rather than barriers to understanding. Through real-world examples from the trenches, participants will examine how cultural respect shapes communication, builds trust, and strengthens the quality of defense work. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s presence, openness, and a genuine commitment to seeing clients as whole people within their cultural realities.


Wednesday October 7, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT
West Wing Harrison Hall Conference 22

2:45pm EDT

Defending in the Digital Age: The Challenges of Tech-Driven Policing
Wednesday October 7, 2026 2:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
This one-hour session provides an engaging look into the rapidly evolving world of police technology. From the use of artificial intelligence in investigations to the growing role of drones and surveillance systems, attendees will gain insight into how modern tools are reshaping policing. The presentation will explore technologies such as AI-based report generation, facial recognition, and advanced video analytics, as well as their potential benefits and ethical challenges. Participants will also examine how these innovations impact defense strategies, evidence reliability, and constitutional rights—offering a thought-provoking discussion on the balance between efficiency, accountability, and privacy in the future of law enforcement.
Wednesday October 7, 2026 2:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
West Wing Harrison Hall Conference 22

4:00pm EDT

Prepare to be Crossed!
Wednesday October 7, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Welcome to one of the most stressful moments of your career…the examination of your work in a public setting. This session will review the best practices, and potential pitfalls, for when you are inevitably called to testify as a witness. We will also discuss some of the common tactics used by the state to discredit your testimony. Attorneys are great at prepping our witnesses on substance, but we often glaze over the psychological stress inherent in testifying. We will discuss that pressure here and leave you with healthy decompression tools.
Wednesday October 7, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
West Wing Harrison Hall Conference 22
 
Thursday, October 8
 

9:00am EDT

Inside The System From Two Different Perspectives
Thursday October 8, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
Inside the System pulls back the curtain on the justice system—taught by someone who’s worked both sides. Everything from arrests to courtroom battles, real insight every future law enforcer or advocate needs.
Thursday October 8, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
West Wing Harrison Hall Conference 22

10:15am EDT

The Seeds of Toby: The Continual Imperative of Holistic Criminal Justice Reform
Thursday October 8, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am EDT
*This session is eligible for NASW CEU Credit

Why is there continued racial disparity within the American criminal justice system? Is it the past war on drugs, a racialized criminal justice system, or historic societal constructs that intentionally embolden this unfortunate and continued reality? This session speaks to the notion of a cultural identity crisis in many who frequent the criminal justice system, and amid the various efforts to correct and change behavior it unpacks the aspect of a cultural identity crisis and it’s proposed critical place to assist in changing the plight of cultural disparities. Adapted from Donavan’s book, The Seeds of Toby, this session will holistically address cultural disparities and illuminate avenues to enhance criminal litigation, investigation, and mitigation.
 
Learning objectives 
Attendees will:
  • Attendees will learn about the common reasons for disparities in the criminal justice system.
  • Attendees will learn about holistic reasons for disparities in the criminal justice system.
  • Attendees will learn about what a cultural identity crisis is and it applies to the American criminal justice system.
  • Attendees will be encouraged to expand a holistic criminal defense litigation, investigation, and mitigation practice through understanding the deeper implications of a cultural identity crisis and how to work on this issue in a strength-based fashion.
Thursday October 8, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am EDT
West Wing Harrison Hall Conference 22
 
Share Modal

Share this link via

Or copy link

Filter sessions
Apply filters to sessions.