On Friday, Feb. 7, the Institute for the Study of Human Services, Health and Justice, the Broward County Sheriff’s Department and the Sheriff’s Foundation of Broward County welcomed more than 130 people for the Third Annual Violence Knows No Boundaries Conference. This annual event is a way to raise awareness for warning signs and predictors of emergency situations. The goal is to bring together those individuals – police, emergency responders, school counselors – who are on the front lines working with those most affected by violence.
This year, more than 20 agencies – from police departments to child protective agencies to school districts – from across Florida were represented at the conference. The event featured outstanding speakers, including Alexis Carpinteri, a 19-year veteran of the Federal Bureau of Investigation who discussed sex crimes against children; David Shapiro, a professor of psychology in NSU’s Center for Psychological Studies, who spoke about risk assessment; and Joe Matthews, a veteran criminal investigator who has worked on several high-profile cases, who presented information about individual and family victimization. These speakers were joined by Rob Cipriano, a licensed psychologist who works with the Miami-Dade Police Department, and Joe Finley, 29-year veteran of the FBI for a panel discussion to close out the day’s events.