CATO Midyear Management MeetingMinutes

Saturday, March 18, 2017Present

Absent Visitors

Sid Heal RK Miller Phil MyersTim Anderson Nick Weaver Kassidy HealRandy Winn Gene Ramirez Dan BurgerBob BentonScott BickleKen HubbsBrian Jones

1. FUTURE FOCUSThe meeting was called to order at 0810 hours. Sid provided a brief overview of the projects, accomplishments and challenges of the past year. CATO currently has 31 projects underway, of which seven are pilot projects. CATO has also retaken the lead role for developing valid certification criteria with a goal of having a proof of concept no later than the first day of the annual conference on December 4th, 2017. More progress has been made on innovative projects, cutting-edge training and improving administrative functions in 2017 than in all previous years. The idea is that when everyone does a little, no one needs to do a lot. To that end, CATO now uses an itemized budget and board members in charge of functions and project managers are awarded broad decision making authority. This has resulted in an ability to quickly exploit opportunities and faster actions without undue oversight.2. TEAM TRAINING POSTERSThe Board discussed the Team Poster Project and Ken suggested that Ken be provided some verbiage and small pictures of the posters to be included in his training announcements. He also suggested that each of the two posters be mounted for display and available for purchase at the CATO booth at the TacOps West conference.3. TRAINING SAFETYKen also suggested that a graduate of the CATO Tactical Safety Officer Course be required for CATO sponsored field exercises, particularly the Joint Readiness Exercise Project.

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4. IPADS FOR TRAININGPhil Myers presented a budget request for three IPad and cases in support of his chemical agent courses, as well as assisting in annual conference registration. The cost will be approximately $1,860.Motion to accept—Bob Benton, Seconded—Tim Anderson, unanimously passed.5. TRAINING MATERIALSKen suggested that documents provided for training be digitized and made available to graduates of the given courses via a secure area on the CATONews.org web, preferably in the training section. Tim will collaborate with Kassidy Heal (webmaster) to determine the best place and procedures to allow graduates of courses to login, retrieve documents, reference material, lesson plans and other documents related to specific courses. 6. FINANCIAL REPORTBob presented the financial report. (see Appendix A, CATO Financial Report, page 6). Despite the theft of monies by the Acteva Company, CATO has returned to a sound financial footing. One of the major contributing factors is that no project manager or board member has ever gone over budget, often using their own funds for travel and minor expense. The Board members agreed that the funds need to be focused on developing programs and benefits for the members. The CATO Benevolence fund is currently vested with approximately $23,000. Ed Pecis will manage the fund, especially the distribution, and develop protocols for sustainment. Motion to accept—Ken, Seconded—Scott, unanimously passed.see Appendix A, CATO Financial Report for more detailed information 7. MEMBERSHIPAs part of the budget, a number of membership issues were revealed, especially related to recruitment and retention. ; automatic renewals are desired but are technically difficult, multi-year memberships would allow individuals to renew their memberships over a multi-year period without interruption, pricing strategies could be developed to reward longtime members and attract new members, a method for verifying membership for discounts, especially training, needs to be developed.

A focus group, led by Tim, will research these issues and make recommendations for the annual conference Board meeting, on or about December 6th, 2017. Randy volunteered to assist and Ken will provide guidance on training issues as his availability permits. 8. CATO NEWSKen suggested that we determine the feasibility of providing on hard copy of the CATO News magazine for each California police agency that has a SWAT

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team. In particular, whether the costs for the extra magazines would offset the costs for additional copies and mailing. UNASSIGNED—seeking someone to take the lead on this task.9. CATO ACADEMYAn informational brief, conducted by Kassidy Heal and Tim, provided an overview of the communications function of CATO, especially the online courses and website. It was noted that the ratio of students accessing free courses was substantially lopsided to those actually completing them. Under the management of the Project Manager, Dick “Odie” Odenthal, the project is underbudget and ahead of schedule. Sid described the new guidance for Phase 2 of the project is to develop at least one class to the point where CATO recovers all investment costs. He mentioned that Odie is going to experiment with a new business model of developing short classes that will become components in full-length courses. Each of the classes will include multi-media, quizzes and be tightly focused on a single aspect of a course. The classes will then be provided for a small cost that will eventually compile a comprehensive course. The investments to this point have largely been in capital expenditures of essential equipment and so continuing development seems financially promising.

The Board discussed the current situation and suggested that CATO develop a short, introductory video clip for the CATO Academy and to advertise on the NTOA website (previously agreed to by the NTOA), as well as developing monetary reimbursement schedules for online instructors, to facilitate participation. Likewise, methods for disenrolling students who lapse in completing courses, automate certification procedures for graduates with validation and gradually change some of the existing free courses to paid courses. The board agreed that Odie, the project manager, should be the decision making authority on these issues.For a detailed review of the figures, see Appendix B, Communications Statistics, page 1510. STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP PROJECT (Mentorship)In 2015, Phil Myers agreed to lead the effort in a mentorship project by “harvesting” the experiences and knowledge of recognized subject matter experts while they were available. Since that time, he has recruited mentors, such as Steve Ijames, Gordon Graham, RK Miller, Ken Hubbs, and others, to voluntarily provide guidance and counseling to a small number of students who are willing to become protégés. The protégés were selected for their desire, enthusiasm, personal initiative and work ethic to participate in an 18-month pilot project to evaluate the value of such a program. One suggestion from the board was to make some of the lessons learned more durable by having a written project as part of the criteria. The project could

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be an article in the CATO News, a research project, an after-action report, or some other writing that would be available to CATO members in perpetuity. Phil advised that this requirement had already been identified and incorporated into the program. To enable meetings of students and instructors who are not geographically close, to purchase required reading books, and other similar expenses. The cost over the entire program for eight protégés was approximately $40,000. Moved—Scott, Seconded—Tim, unanimously passed with the stipulation that the monies were to be immediately available rather than wait to the FY18 date of July 1st, 2017.11. ANNUAL CONFERENCEWith the exception of the curriculum, the conference is ahead of the usual schedule, especially with vendors, who have nearly filled the allotted spaces. Phil Myers is taking the lead for identifying speakers and arranging the curriculum. Scott is coordinating the efforts in his new role as Conference Coordinator. Randy remains responsible for the vendors and RK Miller is responsible for the volunteers. The Awards Dinner will proceed as in previous years to maintain the dignity and prestige of the awards and there will likely be a hosted barbecue by 5.11 at their new store near the conference venue in San Diego. Attendees will also be provided a substantial discount on purchases during the conference. The barbecue will probably be Wednesday, during the annual Conference Management Meeting, which will prevent board members from attending.

In order to maximize savings and facilitate planning, the annual conference venues have been locked in for the next four years. They will alternate each year between a northern venue and a southern one; with the 2017 conference at the Town and Country Resort and Convention Center in San Diego, CA, the 2018 conference at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, NV, the 2019 conference venue is yet to be decided and the 2020 conference back at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, NV.12. INFORMATION REPOSITORYIn recent months, CATO provided information to assist a law enforcement agency in defending themselves against a lawsuit. The search for the information revealed that information is currently stored in different locations by function. e.g. membership, training attendance, conference attendance, and so forth. To facilitate future requests and ensure the information is available, it was suggested that all CATO information be stored by year in a common location. Tim will coordinate with Kassidy Heal to determine the most safe, efficient and effective method and report back to the board with recommendations.13. SWISS TACTICAL STUDENT EXCHANGE

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Sid was contacted by a friend of his in Switzerland to recommend two proficient tactical operators to participate in an intensive weeklong exchange of information, skills and knowledge in Switzerland in May of 2017. Tim has taken the lead role as project manager and been coordinating with the Swiss police. Regional Representatives, Travis Norton and Travis Walker have been selected to participate and provide feedback as to the value of the program on their return. CATO has agreed to provide travel expenses and the Swiss Police have agreed to provide all other expenses, to include food, lodging and in-country travel. At the suggestion of Randy, the consensus of the board was that Tim could provide the expenses from his budget in the AAR Project rather than request a separate budget item. 14. CERTIFICATION PROJECTSid provided an overview of the status of the certification project, which began in the spring of 2014 in furtherance of the CATO Strategic Plan. The project has been on hold for a year as the NTOA was developing national standards. The project is complex and the effort to complete is requires a great deal of effort. CATO has agreed to take the lead role with the support of the NTOA in a joint venture. The NTOA has provided a representative, Jason Mudrock, who will be a part of the committee on developing criteria for the SWAT operator’s role, as well as providing expenses for their representative. The first meeting is being planned for the April time frame, with the expectation of completing a proof of concept no later than December 4, 2017. Sid provided a budget request for travel expenses, books and materials, postage and other expenses related to convening focus groups to complete the project. The board suggested a $10,000 maximum budget.Moved—Bob, Seconded—Tim, unanimously passed with the stipulation that the monies were to be immediately available rather than wait to the FY18 date of July 1st, 2017.15. UNALLOCATED EXPENSESSome expenses are expected but have not been funded. Among these are those related to the annual conference, repair and replacement of equipment, and miscellaneous projects that are in support of other projects. The consensus of the Board is that these projects be funded on a case by case basis through the general fund. Board members who incur expenses for these types of projects should submit them directly to the CATO Treasurer, Bob Benton, for reimbursement. Motion—Bob, Seconded—Scott, unanimously passedFor a detailed review of the FY 2018 budget, see Appendix C, CATO Fiscal Year 2018 Budget, page 17.

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Appendix ACATO FINANCIAL REPORT

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Appendix BCOMMUNICATION STATISTICS

Total Memberships for 2016 as of 3/01/2016Individual = 39Digital = 559

Total Members = 598Total Earned = $9,945

Total Memberships for 2017 as of 3/18/2017Individual = 255Digital = 358

Total Members = 613Total Earned = $15,570

Total Memberships for 2016 as of 12/31/2016 Individual = 615Digital = 1,554

Total Members = 2,169Total Earned = $47,900

CATO ACADEMYo Authentic Leadership (22)o Adaptive Decision Making as a Deliberate Counter VUCA Tactic (48)o Toxic Leadership (107)o Leading High Adventure Assignments (13)o Cultural Diversity (7)o Flash Bang Instructor Update (51)o Proactive Communication (1)o Less Lethal Impact Munition Update (17)o Human Factors and Leadership (1)o Conflict Management (1)o Sound Doctrine (86)o Deep Change and Positive Emotional Intelligence (2)o Bullet Proof Spirit (1)

TOTAL DOWNLOADS: 357

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Year 1 (last year) was designed to streamline the website with a sold backend for automation and new LAMS – Task Accomplished CATO/IAPS collaborations and joint venture.

Year 1 was also the year to prove the concept through launching “Free for Members” and “For Fee” online courses.  We are happy to report that:

o The following 3 “For Fee” courses generate $2,355 Q3 & 4 of 2016 o Leading High Adventure Assignments (CATO & IAPS) o Flash Bang Instructor Update (CATO & IAPS) o Less Lethal Impact Munition Update (CATO & IAPS) o The following “Free for Members” o Sound Doctrine (Sid Heal) o Authentic Leadership (IAPS) o Adaptive Decision Making as a Deliberate Counter VUCA Tactic

(IAPS) o Toxic Leadership (IAPS) o Cultural Diversity (IAPS) o Proactive Communication (IAPS) o Human Factors and Leadership (IAPS) o Conflict Management (IAPS) o Deep Change and Positive Emotional Intelligence (IAPS) o Bullet Proof Spirit (IAPS)

My recommendation to the CATO Board is to:

o The build new courses to launch.  Members need them and will buy them

o Continue offering the following 3 “For Fee” courses generate $2,355 Q3 & 4 of 2016

o Leading High Adventure Assignments (CATO & IAPS) o Flash Bang Instructor Update (CATO & IAPS) o Less Lethal Impact Munition Update (CATO & IAPS) o Charging for a few of the following “Free for Members”

Sound Doctrine (Sid Heal)—Proposed price $125 Authentic Leadership (IAPS)—Proposed price $29 Adaptive Decision Making as a Deliberate Counter VUCA Tactic

(IAPS)—Proposed price $29 Toxic Leadership (IAPS)—Proposed price $29 Cultural Diversity (IAPS) Proactive Communication (IAPS) Human Factors and Leadership (IAPS) Conflict Management (IAPS)

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Deep Change and Positive Emotional Intelligence (IAPS)—Proposed price $29

Bullet Proof Spirit (IAPS)—Proposed price $125

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Appendix CCATO BUDGET FOR FY18

CATO Fiscal Year 2018 BudgetJuly 1, 2017—June 30, 2018

(As approved at the Midyear Management Meeting, March 18, 2017)

FY 2018 BudgetZero Based Budgeting ModelUntil rescinded, all future CATO Budgets will use a “zero-base budget” model. At a minimum, this model requires the following:

All individual budgets must be justified each fiscal year based entirely on merit rather than the previous year’s budget. Likewise, any anticipated changes in either expenditures or proceeds, shall be considered independently based upon the known information at the time.

All unspent funds from the previous year are returned to the general fund for reallocation

Every beneficiary of CATO funds shall submit a semi-annual report to the CATO Treasurer. (see the “Reporting Periods” section of this document)

Unexpected expenses or income shall be presented to the Board of Directors with a recommendation for incorporating them into allocated funds or as part of the unallocated funds

Program managers who seek funds for projects extending beyond a single fiscal year must present justification as well as expected expenditures and incomes.

No more than 50% of available funds will be allocated to specific projects. Upon Board approval, unallocated funds shall be available for operating expenses, special projects and to augment allocated funds.

Board of Directors Discretionary FundsEach member of the Board of Directors is provided $1,000 to facilitate training, travel, meetings, conferences, and other activities furthering the goals of the California Association of Tactical Officers.

CATO AcademyThe CATO Academy project is awarded $10,000 to develop, install, maintain and promote an online training function available for CATO members. The Project Manager (Richard “Odie” Odenthal) shall have broad discretionary

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authority in how funds are used. The focus of effort for the next phase (Phase II) is on developing, installing and maintaining a class that will recover its own expenses. It is the intent that a series of individual classes will be eventually be organized into a full-length course.

Regional RepresentativesThe Regional Representative function, under the direction of Board Member, Tim Anderson, is awarded $10,000. These funds are intended to enable travel, training, meetings, conferences, research, and other activities to support CATO members in the various regions. The Board also wishes to express its strong desire that younger CATO members develop an interest in participating in CATO activities, to include developing training activities and exercises, devising realistic learning games and other functions, with the intent of eventually serving on the CATO Board of Directors.

After Action Review (AAR) ProjectThe After Action Review (AAR) Project is under the direction of Board Member, Tim Anderson, is awarded $10,000. These funds are provided to enable knowledgeable members of the CATO organization to travel, research, and capture “blood lessons” from actual incidents. To expedite on scene observation, the project manager shall have broad discretionary authority in selecting CATO members to attend events as they are unfolding. A “Go Team” will be selected and available to travel on 24 hour’s notice.

Scrimmage Training Exercises (Formerly Tactical Exercise Coordination Group (TECG)This project is currently being developed and under the direction of member, Tim Anderson, and is intended to provide cutting edge training, exercises, and hands on training at local venues. The Board has awarded $10,000 to facilitate travel, equipment and other expenses to further insight and understanding through realistic training and exercises under the guidance of subject matter experts.

MembershipThe membership function of CATO is intended to develop methods and incentives for recruiting and retaining members. The project manager for this period is Tim Anderson, who shall have broad discretionary authority on how members are recruited and retained, as well as the spending of allocated funds. The Board has awarded $5,000 to facilitate these efforts.

Strategic Leadership Project (Mentor Project)

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The Strategic Leadership Project (SLP), formerly called the “Mentor Project,” was outlined in 2015 and focuses on exploiting the experiences, expertise and knowledge of recognized subject matter experts by providing a structured learning environment with required reading, research and most importantly, a mentor/protégé relationship with bona fide experts in critical specialties, such as risk management, tactical operations and disaster responses,

Certification ProjectThis project is a first of its kind, in that it will certify individuals for specific tactical tasks and roles by a law enforcement professional organization. Much like the trade guilds of the middle ages, CATO will determine criteria that will ensure a person is capable of performing to necessary standards. It is intended that the certification will be of sufficient value that they will be recognized by their professional colleagues, as well as courts and laypeople alike, as fully capable in performing the essential skills, functional roles and leadership requirements for domestic law enforcement special operations. The objective of this phase of the project will be a “proof of concept” by developing a plan, identifying the procedures, and establishing the mechanisms to enable certification by December 4, 2017. This phase of the project will be a joint venture with the NTOA, who have agreed to provide a representative and share expenses. The Board has awarded $10,000 to facilitate these efforts, with the monies to be immediately available to the project manager, Sid Heal.

Unallocated ExpensesSome expenses are expected but have not been funded. Among these are those related to the annual conference, repair and replacement of equipment, ad hoc focus groups and miscellaneous projects that are in support of other projects. The consensus of the Board is that these projects be funded on a case by case basis through the general fund. Board members who incur expenses for these types of projects should submit them directly to the CATO Treasurer, Bob Benton, for reimbursement.

Reporting periodsUnless specifically excepted, each person responsible for the use and distribution of CATO funds shall provide a semi-annual report on how the funds are spent. The report, either electronically or in hard copy, shall be sent to the CATO Treasurer within 15 days, but not after the last day of November and May of each year. At a minimum, the report shall include:

The original amount allocated The amount of funds currently spent Anticipated expenses before the next fiscal year (July 1 of each year)

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A short description of what the funds have been used for and the rationale for why they were necessary.

It should be noted that the Board desires only an accounting and does not desire lengthy or complicated reports. In most cases, a “fill in the blank” spreadsheet will be available.

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