Catching Up With Year-End Conferences: Kansas Sheriffs and Illinois Tactical Officers Association

Two great conferences, and so little time! The hustle and bustle of the holidays is upon us, and we’ve been keeping the spirits bright with great interviews from this year’s K9 Grant winners. However, we didn’t want to overlook some of the incredible people we’ve met in the past few weeks. Today, we’re going to take a brief look back at some of the conferences we’ve traveled to in the past month. 

Illinois Tactical Officers Association Conference

The Illinois Tactical Officers Association held their annual conference before Thanksgiving in Oak Brook, Illinois. Over 500 officers from around the area attended, and Aftermath’s Senior Manager of Law Enforcement Relations, Patrick Leone, was on hand to answer questions about the company.

For nearly 30 years, IOTA has gathered to provide educational and networking opportunities to law enforcement; they also host regular training seminars and produce a magazine that focuses on topical issues relevant to officers. This year’s conference featured plenty workshops and seminars, as well as a Vendor Appreciation Night on Sunday. Monday night concluded the conference with a large banquet for all those attending.

The event went well, and Patrick, a retired officer himself, enjoyed seeing former co-workers and peers. “Everyone was pleased with the show. There was a lot of talk at the booth about how the departments use Aftermath and how happy they are with our services. They also loved our promo materials, especially the ‘fat cop’ and light-up bounce balls.” Patrick also gave away one of Aftermath’s signature 5.11 tactical bags with PPE kit. Sgt. Keith Sullivan of the Tinley Park Police Department was the winner.

Kansas Sheriffs Association Conference

The week before Thanksgiving, Senior Manager Rolando Barrientez visited Mulvane, Kansas for the Kansas Sheriffs Association Conference. The yearly event was attended by over 200 members of the state’s law enforcement. The conference was organized so that vendors had a dedicated day to spend with attendees. For over 5 hours, Rolando visited with sheriffs, undersheriffs, and deputies from throughout the state.

“Almost all the attendees stopped by at some point,” Rolando reported. “Many had already heard of AMS, and many regularly provide our information to families so we can assist them through traumatic situations. For those who had only heard of us because of email or postal mailings, it was great to put names to faces and speak directly to their concerns. Most questions that came up were in regards to cost and locations, and I described to them how easy it is for families to communicate with the company.”

Rolando explained that Aftermath Supervisors are available 24/7 to help the families whenever something comes up about a service. Furthermore, Aftermath’s skilled team of Client Service Reps routinely work with insurance agencies and other funding sources to help save families additional time and stress.

Rolando also said he received a lot of feedback about Aftermath’s outreach programs: “People were still excited about the results of this years K9 grants, and they were glad to learn more about the PPE kit giveaway we run on occasion. One detective wanted to order PPE kits right at the conference so he could put them to use in the field right away. I was able to get him in touch with Gena in marketing and have that taken care of for him.”

In addition, Rolando was able to meet with the Rooks County Sheriffs Department and congratulate the agency on being a finalist in this year’s K9 grant. Also, one lucky conference goer was able to walk away with his own PPE kit and 5.11 tactical bag. That winner was Captain Steve Buck of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (Jail Division).

The Road Ahead – 2018

It’s been a whirlwind year for Aftermath. From amazing contests, grants, and awards, to our magnificent teams of technicians and client service representatives who work hard each and every day to help families and businesses nationwide. We are grateful to be part of so many communities across the US, and a respected and valued leader in biohazard cleanup industry.

Our gratitude also goes out to the men and women who serve in law enforcement and other related fields, and to those who welcomed us to fantastic events like the ones described above. We’ll be making the rounds again in 2018, and we look forward to meeting you!