Civil Rights Consultants: 5

Dr. Joseph S. Schwartzberg, is an Educational Consultant / Expert Witness who provides consultation and testimony on cases involving students with disabilities.

Dr. Schwartzberg was responsible for developing and administering legally compliant special education programs for the 14 districts of North San Diego County. For 13 years, he served as the Senior Director of the North Coastal Consortium for Special Education for the San Diego County Office of Education. For the 7 years prior, he was the Division Director for the Southern Westchester, NY, Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES).

Litigation Support - Dr. Schwartzberg is experienced and skilled at deposition and trial testimony in state and federal court, broad knowledge and expertise in several areas, including but not limited to the following: matters related to the appropriate programming / services for children with disabilities, standards of care and school district responsibilities, child abuse and mandated reporter responsibilities,school safety, other agency services and responsibilities, plaintiff and defendant responsibilities, family court, civil court and administrative hearings, alternative dispute resolution. 

Areas of Expertise:

• IDEA
• Inclusion
• Mainstreaming
• Standards of Care
• Other Agency Responsibilities
• Non-public Schools
• Appropriate Programming for Students with Disabilities

View Dr. Schwartzberg's Expert Witness Profile.

Brian L. Landers has 20 years of Law Enforcement experience, as well as over 25 years in Law Enforcement Training and Education, including experience as a police and jail academy director and a full-time criminal justice professor.

Mr. Landers holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration, a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice, and is pursuing his PhD in Forensic Psychology at Walden University. He also holds multiple certifications as a Master Trainer for law enforcement topics and use of force. 

 Mr. Landers frequently serves as a media consultant on police and criminal justice issues for ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox News affiliates. He was elected to three terms on the Columbia County Board of Supervisors (WI) and three terms as Mayor of the City of Wisconsin Dells. His trusted knowledge and experience have been recognized by those he has served in all capacities, and his expansive background has propelled him to be an incredibly reliable, trustworthy, and confident consultant.

A full-time educator and trainer, Mr. Landers' services include:

Consulting - Performance and Personnel Evaluations

Research - Use of Force Concepts, Training Guidance, and Policy Revisions

Training - Use of Force Concepts, Policy Training, and Training Curriculum Services

Certified Law Enforcement Instructor Certified Defensive Tactics Instructor Certified Firearms Instructor Certified Tactical Response Instructor

Certified Evidence Technician Certified ECD Instructor Certified Scenario-based Training Instructor Certified FBI Hostage Negotiator

View Brian L. Landers' Expert Witness Profile.

A Special Education expert for five decades, Dr. Steven C. Imber served as a professor of special education from 1973 2021. He serves as a special education advocate, consultant to attorneys, parents and schools. He has conducted more than 600 independent educational evaluations.

Education:

• B.S. Psychology (High Honors) State University of New York at Buffalo
• Doctoral Studies, Clinical Psychology, University of Connecticut
• M.A. from the Department of Educational Psychology (Special Education - Learning Disabilities), University of Connecticut (Kappa Delta Phi)
• Ph.D. from the Department of Educational Psychology (Special Education -Emotional Disturbance (High Honors)

As a special education expert, Dr. Imber has worked on cases with children, adolescents and adults with a broad array of disabilities. He provides professional advocacy and consultation for children with the following disabilities:

• Autism Disorders
• Attention Deficit Disorders
• Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
• Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Intellectual Disabilities (Cognitive Deficits)
• Learning Disabilities
• Other Disabilities and Disorders

Areas of Expertise:

• Criminal Defense of Individuals with Disabilities – competence to stand trial and comprehension of Miranda Warning Rights
• Family Custody Matters involving Disputes regarding matters of Education and Special Education
• School Safety
• Special Education Regulations and Law
• Wrongful Death

Dr. Imber has been involved in cases from the following states: Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia. 

Depositions and Direct Testimony
Dr. Imber has testified in federal court, various district courts, superior court, family and probate court and in numerous due process hearings since 1975.

Below are listed recent cases in which Dr. Imber provided testimony during depositions or directly in various court matters:

• October 21, 2021, Family Court: State of Hawaii, Plaintiff
• October 19, 2021, Hancock County Circuit Court, West Virginia Criminal Action, Defendant
• September 29, 2021, Chicago Public  Schools Cook County, Defendant
• July 6, 2021, Worcester County Probate and Family Court, Plaintiff
• August 10, 2021, Springfield District Court, Defendant
• May – June 2019, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Division of Administrative Law Appeals, Bureau of Special Education Appeals BSEA, Plaintiff

Additional Accomplishments

• Published several articles in national and international journals within the fields of special education and psychology
• Presented at several local, state, regional, national and international conferences and meetings

Rhode Island Office Sprout Building 166 Valley Street Providence, RI 02909 Telephone: 401-421-4004

New York Office 61-43 186th Street Fresh Meadows, NY 11365 Telephone: 516-273-1961

Dr. Imber's CV is available upon request.

Dr. Ron Martinelli, PhD, CMI-V, is a nationally renowned Forensic Criminologist and a federal/state courts qualified law enforcement and premises liability expert who is also a Certified Medical Investigator (physician's level) and a Certified Suicide Investigator. 

Dr. Martinelli directs the nation's only Forensic Death Investigations & Independent Review Team of 26 law enforcement, forensic and medical experts and specializes in officer-involved death cases, civilian self-defense shooting cases and premises liability/security cases. He is a forensic/law enforcement expert to the U.S. Department of Justice, several State Attorney Generals' Offices, numerous major municipalities and nationally prominent private law firms specializing in wrongful death, civil rights and premises liability. 

Dr. Martinelli is the prevailing expert in over 90% of his retained cases. He has saved defendants over $650M and earned plaintiffs over $290 million in jury verdicts and settlements since 2004. He is the media's go-to forensic expert for FOX News, One America News Network, CNN, HLN, Sky News, BBC, NPR, and the History & Discovery Channels. Dr. Martinelli is skilled in officer-involved shootings, in-custody deaths, crime scene reconstruction, forensics, applied sciences, human factors, psycho-medical emergencies and premises liability and security cases. His unique and extensive field experience, combined his academic and scientific credentials, excellent written reports and persuasive testimony, make him a very appealing expert to attorneys and juries alike.

Areas of Expertise:

• Arrests
• Search & Seizure
• Use of Force / Excessive Force - All Levels and Weaponry
• Officer Involved Shootings(OIS)
• In-Custody Deaths
• Criminal Investigations
• Law Enforcement & Corrections Practices, Training & Supervision
• Adult & Juvenile Corrections
• Law Enforcement Negligence
• Civilian Self-Defense, Premises Liability, Security, Foreseeable Harm
• Insurance Cases
• Human Factors

ConsulTex and Associates is a Houston based security consulting company that provides security strategies for individual clients, law enforcement, and corporate security clients. ConsulTex is available nationwide to answer questions regarding security measures, or offer solutions that fit their clients' needs.

Services Include:

• Expert Witness Analysis
• Use of Force
• Police Procedure and Practice
• Security Tactics and Policies
• Training and Speaking Engagements

Principal, Roger W. Chappell, has over 25 years of experience in the Law Enforcement and Security industry. A 9 year Marine Corp Veteran, he is also a former corporate security manager, police crime prevention specialist, detective supervisor, police training manager, and internal affairs sergeant.

As Security Management Professional, his background includes an advanced 22-year law enforcement career with the highly regarded Houston Police Department. He received over 40 awards in that capacity, including supervisory and civilian commendations.

Mr. Chappell has more than 20 years of training and “hands on” experience evaluating, developing, and managing security and crime prevention programs. He coordinated numerous security related functions at hotels, bars and night clubs, and apartments. Mr. Chappell has handled large events during the Super Bowl, MLB All Stars, and NCAA Final Four events. He was also a hostage negotiator for over 12 years responsible for the safe resolution to highly stressful and violent events.

Roger Chappell has served as both a private sector security consultant and a public sector Master Peace Officer. He has earned a stellar reputation as an expert in hostage negotiation and received the prestigious Hostage Negotiator of the Year award in 2013.

View Roger Chappell's Expert Witness Profile.