Dramatically Different Views on Ferguson Security Issues To Be Contrasted at Hancock Symposium
Two speakers with dramatically different viewpoints on last summer’s national crisis, the riots in Ferguson, Missouri, will give their viewpoints September 15-16 at the upcoming Hancock Symposium on the campus of Westminster College.
Missouri Senator Maria Chappell-Nadal, who was a protester on the ground at Ferguson, will give a free public presentation, “Through the Eyes of Ferguson,” from 1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 15, in Room 305 of the Coulter Science Center.
Senator Chappell-Nadal represents Senatorial District 14 in St. Louis County and will talk about her time protesting, the legal impact of the most recent legislation and her future electoral goals.
Captain David Hall, Director of the Missouri Information Analysis Center at the Missouri State Highway Patrol, will give a free public presentation from 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, September 16, in Room 207 of the Coulter Science Center.
Captain Hall will talk about how in light of the Ferguson riots last summer, one of the largest civil emergencies in Missouri’s state history, how can civil liberties, civil rights, and privacy rights be balanced with officer safety and public safety.
Elected in 2010, Senator Chappelle-Nadal previously worked for Lt. Governor Joe Maxwell in 2000, as Director of Communications. Sen. Chappelle-Nadal later chose to serve as Missouri’s Senior Advocate. There she successfully helped shepherd legislation such as the Senior Care and Protection Act of 2003 and the Missouri Senior Rx Generic Drug Rebate.
In addition to her legislative duties, Sen. Chappelle-Nadal is a director on the University City School Board.
The agency which Captain Hall leads, the Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC), serves as Missouri’s intelligence fusion center. MIAC collects, evaluates, analyzes, and disseminates information and intelligence to agencies tasked with homeland security responsibilities.
The center collects incident reports of suspicious activities to be analyzed in an effort to identify potential trends of terrorist or criminal operations within the state. MIAC is organized as a partnership of local, state, and federal agencies, the public sector, and private entities. MIAC also functions as a vehicle for communication between federal, state, and local law enforcement.
The MIAC is a division of the Missouri State Highway Patrol and includes personnel from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Missouri Gaming Commission, Missouri Department of Corrections, MSHP’s Division of Drug and Crime Control, and the Missouri National Guard. The MIAC operates 24 hours per day, seven days per week, 365 days a year.
The topic of this year’s upcoming Symposium is “Security vs. Liberty: Balancing the Scales of Freedom.” Presenters and discussion will center on how America maintains a balance between championing liberty and preserving security. Ever since 9/11, the demand for security has compelled America to take a serious look at how increased security affects individual freedoms.
Westminster recently announced the establishment of a security studies major beginning this fall.
The Hancock Symposium is a yearly event at Westminster College. Classes are suspended for two days so the entire Westminster community can attend lectures, panel discussions and presentations by noted experts on one particular subject of global interest. The public and media are also invited to attend.
For more information on the Hancock Symposium, go to https://www.wcmo.edu/symposium/.
