THE EMBASSY SUITES HOTEL
WHAT SHOULD I BRING TO LOMPOC?
DIA-DITA ONLINE INFORMATION
A PARTIAL LIST OF FACULTY
The Defense Investigators Association is proud to present again the first college- accredited training specifically designed for professional criminal and juvenile defense investigators. The training program for this conference is the first in a series of workshops presented by the D.I.T.A. committee, a subcommittee of the D.I.A. Students completing the entire D.I.T.A. program of 120 hours of instruction will earn a Certificate in Criminal Defense Investigation and eight college credit units. The D.I.A. is again addressing the need for professional training that is as fully accredited as that provided for peace officers and District Attorney investigators throughout the state.
This class, which will be presented in a thirty-hour block beginning November 8, will cover the evolution of criminal defense, the role of the defense investigator, time management, report writing, grammar and style, note taking, interviewing and testifying. Each student will be required to complete and submit assignments including an in-basket exercise and an investigation report, and will take a final exam on Monday, November 12. In addition students will be required to do an interview in a small group setting, and then will testify on the report completed on the basis of that interview. Students will receive letter grades on their performance in each aspect of the training program. The topics are thematically interlinked and students will need to attend every class in order to complete the workshop. No partial credit can be awarded.
The D.I.T.A. classes are much more rigorous than any the D.I.A. or other defense organization has done in the past. When we first presented D.I.T.A. I, in November 1999, students said they felt as though they’d been to “boot camp.” At that time, we presented the thirty-hour class and the final in three and one-half days, necessitating ten and twelve hour lectures and workshops, with homework requirements done after the long day in class. Because of the intense nature of the class and the amount of homework required, we have this year added a day to the class length, thus allowing students more time to complete assignments. This time, D.I.T.A. will present the same stimulating, educational and useful program, but with the added day in the schedule, students will experience less stress and have more time to complete assignments and study for the final examination.
Registration will take place from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, November 8 and will be followed by the orientation and the first class starting at 10:30 a.m. The D.I.A. will host a reception beginning at 7:00 p.m. Class resumes the next day at 8:00 a.m. and will run daily through Sunday.
A list of our faculty members, numbering more than thirty professionals, is included herein. The faculty comprises well-respected individuals who are giving their time to teach at D.I.T.A., the first program of this kind in the United States. We anticipate another stimulating and educational experience in Lompoc, and look forward to seeing you there. Students who have completed any of the series of classes and who wish to acquire the Certificate in Defense Investigation must complete this class. For those interested in obtaining the certificate and who have not taken any of the series, you should sign up now.
THE EMBASSY SUITES HOTEL
The conference site is the Lompoc campus of Allan Hancock College. Rooms have been blocked at The Embassy Suites Hotel located in the bucolic city of Lompoc. The hotel has set special conference rates that include breakfast and an evening reception of cocktails, drinks and light hors d’oeuvres each day for $129 single or double. When you call to reserve your room, be sure to mention that you will be there for the D.I.A./D.I.T.A. conference. Their phone number is (805) 735-8311. Website - students should call the hotel directly to make. Lompoc is located off Highways 1 or 246, and is accessible by automobile, Amtrak, and air (Santa Barbara Airport and Santa Maria Airport).
WHAT SHOULD I BRING TO LOMPOC?
The class you will be attending in Lompoc is a college-level course, and as in any college course, you will need to come prepared to take notes and organize materials that you will receive. During the thirty hours of classroom time, you will take a multiple choice exam, write several reports, take notes that you must turn in, and complete an in-basket exercise. You will be required to participate in a role-playing interview and you will testify in a role-playing setting. You may receive some materials in the mail prior to the conference. Other materials may be posted on the DIA/DITA e-group website. Be sure to read the materials before you come to class as you will not have time to do that during the classes and you will need the information to participate fully. When you sign up for the class, your e-mail address will be added to the mailing list and you will receive notification of any materials posted on line. Therefore, it is important that you check your e-mail routinely once you have signed up for the class. Materials may be posted on-line anytime up to a week before the beginning of class. If for some reason, you cannot utilize e-mail, please indicate that on your application form so other arrangements can be made for you to receive class materials in advance of the session.
LAPTOP COMPUTERS/PRINTERS
If you have a lap top computer, bring it with you. Be sure to charge the batteries in advance, because you may not be able to plug it in during the class sessions. If you have a printer that you can transport easily, you may also find that useful. Computer access and printing will be available at the college each evening for a limited period of time.
OTHER SUPPLIES
Please be sure to bring an adequate supply of writing paper, pens, pencils and any and everything you receive in the mail regarding this conference. Bring at least one business card for your interviewing class, and more if you wish to network with other investigators while you are in Lompoc. Bring any study materials received in the mail, or downloaded from the internet. D.I.T.A. will not be able to provide you with second copies of materials mailed to you or posted on line.
DIA-DITA ONLINE INFORMATION
Lastly, be sure to send us your e-mail address so we can add you to the web site list. Changes and additional information will be posted on the web page. Meanwhile, you can subscribe to the list and participate in the group now by sending an e-mail to DIA-DITA-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. After you send your e-mail to this address, you will receive a return response from the group moderator, so watch for the return and follow instructions to join.
MAIL IN YOUR REQUIRED WRITING SAMPLE
All students must submit, along with their application, a one page writing sample, preferably in the form of an investigation report. These writing samples are required of each enrolled student, but they will not be used toward the student’s grade nor will they be used as examples during the Report Writing classes. Their purpose is to aid the Report Writing instructors in formulating class content. Please remember to change the names to protect confidentiality if you use an investigative report from your current employment. You can use the “search and replace” feature on your word processor program to replace confidential names with new ones.
YOUR RESUME OR CURRICULUM VITAE
All students will participate in a testifying training workshop. For this workshop, students will need to provide a summary list of his or her training and experience to the instructor during the small group testifying practicum. In preparation for this assignment, bring with you a resume or a list of your training and experience that you can refer to when you are completing this assignment. Your resume will not be evaluated or graded and will serve only to teach you how to highlight your experience and training and increase your credibility as a witness.
A PARTIAL LIST OF FACULTY
Tim Chandler, Alternate Public Defender, San Diego County; Gregory C. Paraskou, Public Defender Santa Barbara County; Jose Varela, Assistant Public Defender, Marin County; Josie Ceniceros, Certified Criminal Defense Investigator, (CCDI) Marin County Public Defender; Scott Dittmyer, MSW, DITA Founder, CCDI, San Diego County Public Defender Retired; Jean Dittmyer, CCDI, DITA Founder, San Diego County Alternate Defender Retired; Honorable Rogelio Flores, Superior Court Judge, Patrick Quintana, CCDI, Santa Barbara County Public Defender; Francie Koehler, CCDI, Private Investigator, Past President CALI; Ann Favor, CCDI, Chief Investigator Ventura County Public Defender; Sheila Klopper, CCDI, Private Investigator, San Jose, CA; and a host of Ventura and Santa Barbara County attorneys including both Public Defender and private practice attorneys and members of the bench from Santa Barbara and Santa Maria.
Special thanks to Allan Hancock College, Ray Hobson, Dean; Ashley Hollis and Peg Rodriguez – Allan Hancock College and DIA webmaster, Juan Nolan of Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office. Thanks also to those DITA committee members and DITA graduates who have worked so hard to make this program possible.
