Dr. David Black and Dr Frank Straub Presenting at the 2019 IACP Annual Conference




Dr. David Black, Cordico CEO and Chief Psychologist, and Dr. Frank Straub, National Police Foundation – Director of Strategic Studies, are presenting at the 2019 Annual International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Conference in Chicago.  Their presentation is on Psychological Analysis of Violent Motives.

This presentation examines the psychological motives and “whys” behind murders, mass murders, and other violent acts. Violent crime motive analysis based upon more than 500 high-stakes psychological evaluations of violent criminals will be presented, including key principles of threat assessment. Participants can also expect to be primed and exposed to the effects of mass casualty incidents on the law enforcement agencies and officers that respond to these cases. Strategies and policies to support officers during and following the incidents will be examined. Participants will gain information that will assist them in understanding of the psychological dynamics of mass violence and application of such to help prepare officers and agencies.

Date:  Oct 27

Time: 12:30 pm – 1:50 pm

Location:  McCormick Place – West

Room:  W187bc


About Dr. David Black

David Black, Ph.D. is the CEO of Cordico and leads a team of highly experienced psychologists serving more than 200 public safety agencies. Dr. Black is a Board Member of the National Sheriffs’ Association Psychological Services Group, serves as the Chair of Technology and Social Media, is an Advisory Board Member for the National Police Foundation’s Center for Mass Violence Response Studies, served on the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Model Policy Working Group for Investigating Officer-Involved Shootings and Other Serious Incidents, and is partnered with the California State Firefighters’ Association to help strengthen firefighter mental health and well-being.


About Dr. Frank Straub

A 30-year veteran of law enforcement, Dr. Frank Straub currently serves as the Director of the Center for Mass Violence Response Studies at the Police Foundation, where he works on Critical Incident Reviews including the San Bernardino terrorist attack–and the resulting report Bringing Calm to Chaos–and the Orlando Pulse shooting (in progress). Dr. Straub last served as the Chief of the Spokane, Washington, Police Department, where he received national recognition for the major reforms, community policing programs he implemented and significant crime reductions achieved during his tenure. In Spokane, Dr. Straub mandated that all members of the department receive 40-hours of crisis intervention training, and he created a team of officers who received over 100 hours of specialized mental health training. As Director of Public Safety for the City of Indianapolis, Dr. Straub collaborated with Eskanazi Medical Center’s Prescription for Hope Program, assigning a team of police officers to the program, which focused on reducing youth violence and retaliation through hospital-based interventions. During his tenure, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department reduced homicides to the lowest level in 20 years. Dr. Straub has also served as the Public Safety Commissioner for the City of White Plains, New York where his department reduced serious crime by 40%. He established the first police-community mental health response team in Westchester County to proactively assist persons challenged by mental illness, homelessness and domestic violence. Dr. Straub previously served as the Deputy Commissioner of Training for the New York City Police Department; and as a federal agent. He holds a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice, from the City University of New York’s Graduate Center, an M.A. in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and a B.A. in Psychology from St. John’s University. He co-authored a book on performance-based police management and published several articles regarding community policing, police reform, and jail management.