Private Investigators Get Ready for the IMARC Conference

• March 11, 2012
• by PInow Staff
• Associations

On March 29th, private investigators in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Iowa and other Mid-Western states will head to Riverside, Missouri for the Professional Investigators' MidAmerican Regional Conference. The conference offers ten Continuing Education Credits for investigators in certain states and will focus on education and increasing attendance. Across both days investigators will learn about asset investigations, interviewing techniques, social media and websites as well as other investigative topics. PInow spoke with Melissa Jones to get more information on what private investigators can expect at the conference.

Attending association events is important for investigation veterans and newcomers alike. "IMARC was started by the Kansas Association of Licensed Investigators as a way of obtaining current training on topics relevant to investigators," Jones explains, "[and] has invited PI's from all of the Mid-West states to attend." The conference, which will run for one and a half days, will be held at the Argosy Casino.

Highlights from last year's conference

“We received outstanding reviews from our last conference," Jones said, "People enjoyed the venue last time along with the organization of the conference, the speakers, topics, giveaways and networking." Jones is quick to point out the popularity of last year's crab-leg buffet night which included refreshments and networking opportunities. The association conducted a survey during the 2010 conference and decided to extend the conference to one and half days rather than just one. With around 115 attendees at the last conference, Jones projects that attendance will increase to 200 this year.

Speakers and topics at this year’s conference

This year's educational seminars and topics will include:

• Asset Investigations
  with Joseph Twardowski
• Interviewing and Interrogation Techniques
  with Gary Pettijohn
• Ballistics and Blood Stain Analysis
  with George Schiro
• Social Media, Facebook, LinkedIn and Websites
  with Mia Lee
• Handwriting and Document Analysis
  with Debra Dunlap
• Surveillance with Cellular Technology
  with Jake Lahmann
• Educate to Legislate
  with Peter Psarouthak

Some of the vendors and exhibitors will speak briefly about their services and products between each seminar.

Why investigators should attend

"It's important to attend for several reasons," Jones explains, "Networking opportunities, training on current issues, techniques, laws and to obtain your state's license required [Continuing Education Credits]." Private investigators in Missouri will need their Continuing Education Units (CEUs) by spring for licensing renewals making the event a great conference to attend. CEU requirements in other states vary from 8-16 hours and are required every 1 to 2 years, depending on the state.

"IMARC is a professional and organized conference that allows each person to learn about current investigative issues," Jones concludes, "It hosts national speakers, nation-wide exhibitors that are important to the PI industry, networking opportunities and an overall fun [and] professional environment."

For more information or to register for the conference, click here to visit the IMARC website.

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