Major Crimes Conference In Tulsa Focuses On Crime Trends And New Technology

Hundreds of police officers, detectives, and investigators are at a police conference in Tulsa this week to learn new skills for their careers.

The Major Crimes Conference at the Hard Rock Casino prepares investigators for how to handle crime trends and introduces them to new technology.

Investigators say as they learn the trends, criminals are changing their methods, making it difficult for them to stay ahead.

The Major Crimes Conference brings all aspects of law enforcement to one location.

Agencies from Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma come together to share crime trends they are seeing in their regions in an effort to stop it.

Sergeant Wes Jones with the Rogers County Sheriff’s Office says it's a constant battle.

“Sometimes it feels like that. Sometimes, I feel like we’re behind the curve, but that’s why we come here. That’s why we network. We learn what’s going on around the state and across other states,” Jones said.

OSBI Lt. Derek White says the conference holds classes to teach interviewing techniques, investigation strategies, and courtroom testimony procedures.

“Bottom line, it’s to solve crimes,” White said.

White says the conference also introduces new technology, but with new technology comes some positives and some negatives.

“In some aspects, it makes it easier to track suspects, follow leads, things like that. In some aspects, it makes it more difficult to investigate things because criminals use the same technology to get away with crimes as well,” White said.

Jones says he overcomes that by networking with more seasoned officers.

“That’s why you’re here. There's guys that are here for their first year like myself, and then there are other guys that have done this job for 20, 30 years, and that’s great for guys like myself to go seek out those guys and get their wisdom on how to do this job,” Jones said.