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September 26, 2008

ULM’s Institute of Law Enforcement to Co-Host Ninth Annual Conference of the Asian Association of Police Studies in Lafayette

The ULM Institute of Law Enforcement and the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette will co-host the Ninth Annual Conference for the Asian Association of Police Studies, Sept. 30 – Oct. 4. The conference will be held in Lafayette and will entail the participation of police administrators and policing scholars from nine different countries throughout Asia.

The theme for the conference this year is “Policing and Multicultural Issues around the Globe.” Several conference presenters will speak directly to the issue of multicultural policing in a global community. It is a unique opportunity for the University of Louisiana system as well as the state of Louisiana to serve as the host for this wide-ranging group of professionals.

Dr. Robert Hanser, director of the Institute of Law Enforcement, Dr. Scott Mire of ULL, and Dr. Attapol Kuanliang of ULM have worked during the past year to ensure that the various details associated with the conference were given due attention. Throughout the process, coordination with officials in South Korea and the People’s Republic of China has been maintained to ensure that international travel requirements were met for expected participants.

Also, Dr. John Sutherlin, co-director of the ULM Social Science Research Lab, and Dr. Kevin Unter, interim head of the ULM Department of Gerontology, Sociology and Political Science, have assisted the effort by securing contact with potential speakers at the conference. Unter has also worked to guarantee assistance with local law enforcement in the City of New Orleans during the time that a tour of that city will be provided to AAPS participants.

Hanser, when speaking on the topic of the conference, remarked that, “This is a unique social situation. On the one hand, we have several law enforcement officials of various capacities from Asia visiting the United States, while on the other hand, we also have a collection of law enforcement officials from Louisiana who will greet these visitors. All of this is juxtaposed against a cultural exchange between East and West; between a variety of Asian cultures and the Acadian culture of Louisiana. I am honored to be part of this endeavor given the symbolic importance that it entails.”

Hanser also added, “I would like to thank Dr. Jeff Cass, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at ULM, for his support of this project. He has been a boon to the college and has been a strong proponent of academic, cultural and professional exchange. We have been truly fortunate to have his assistance.”

Hanser has contacted Serials Publications, a large publishing house known throughout South Asia, and has procured an agreement to publish many of the presentations from the AAPS 2008 conference in an edited anthology. The title of the anthology has not yet been determined but will reflect the basic theme of the conference. The edited product will include selected articles as well as several editorial introductions and inserts to enhance the educational value of the text. The anthology will provide an excellent resource for instructors and students who study multinational criminal justice issues. The editors of this anthology will be Dr. Sunghoon Rho of Appalachian State University, Hanser, Unter, and Mire. The anthology should be completed and published by August of 2009.

More about the AAPS conference itinerary:
During the opening session of the conference, Col. Michael D. Edmonson, superintendent of the Louisiana State Police and deputy secretary of the Department of Public Safety, will deliver the keynote address for AAPS participants. Edmonson will welcome AAPS law enforcement practitioners and scholars to the state of Louisiana. His address will be preceded by local introductions from James Craft, chief of police in Lafayette, and from Michael Neustrom, the sheriff of Lafayette Parish. Dr. Richard H. Ward, dean of the Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences, will deliver a prelude.

During the conference period, AAPS guests and participants will take a tour of the Louisiana State Penitentiary – Angola as well as the State Police Training Academy in Baton Rouge. The tours will include a visit of death row at Angola as well as the Louisiana State Crime Lab used by the state police. A social outing to New Orleans is scheduled during the conference along with several other social events, dinners and activities. Lastly, it is expected that some participants will stay over the weekend to attend the Angola Prison Rodeo with Hanser and Kuanliang.

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