Firearms Expert Witnesses: 6

Chief Chet Epperson (Ret.), MBA, has over 44 years of experience as a Law Enforcement / Police Professional for the Rockford Police Department in Rockford, Illinois. Chief Epperson spent 33 years as an active law enforcement officer and 10 of those years as Chief of Police. 

Chief Epperson maintains practical experience as a municipal police chief, implementing several police reforms in his police agency along with accountability processes. He was instrumental in reforming the Rockford Police Department by enhancing its relationship with the community and providing internal and external transparency. Chief Epperson assisted in the formulation of a multi-jurisdictional task force to investigate officer-involved police shootings, in-custody police deaths, and serious uses of force.

Litigation Support - Since 2016, Chief Epperson has been serving as a Police Practices consultant, providing court-appointed expertise in police agency Federal District Court Consent Decrees. He is an expert in applying constitutional standards, state Law, policy, and practice to police incidents. Having Instructed courses on police use of force, internal affairs, and discipline, Chief Epperson is qualified to opine on cases of this nature for both plaintiffs and defendants. His police and jail litigation services include thorough reporting, deposition, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

View AGR Police Practice Group's Consulting Profile.

My name is David T. Sweeney.  I am a Police Policy and Procedure expert and a retired 34-year veteran police leader with Seattle Police and Oregon State University PD.  I have decades of experience supervising a large number of police officers and supervisors. I am currently employed as adjunct faculty in the School of Police Staff and Command at Northwestern University. I enjoy assisting with expert reviews of policing best practices for a variety of legal standards for police departments. As an expert witness, I have been pleased to work with both plaintiff and defense attorneys. I will give you an honest assessment of your case, so that I can provide the best reports and helpful testimony. I have experience with 41 total cases: 16 defense cases and 25 plaintiff cases.

Litigation Support - My goal is to improve best practices in policing by offering expert witness and police consultation services. I am also a trained mediator specializing in workplace conflicts. I provide honest, unbiased opinions. I will be happy to review and discuss your case. I will point out strengths and weaknesses of the case, and we can work on next steps, whether it be further case review, expert report, deposition, or trial testimony. I have spent 21 years as a sergeant and lieutenant, responsible for training and reviewing topics such as police pursuits, use of force, police tactics, de-escalation, police supervision, less lethal weapons, active shooter, SWAT, crowd control, legal standards, EEO, Human Resources, U.S. 1983 cases, and more.

 Areas of Expertise:

View David T. Sweeney's Consulting Profile.

Daniel G. O'Kelly has over 40 years of experience as a range instructor, a builder, and collector ofFirearms and Ammunition. Mr. O'Kelly is currently Director at the International Firearm Specialist Academy (IFSA), a guild of award-winning experts, former Federal Agents, Investigators, Police Officers, Attorneys, and Medical Doctors, in the firearm and forensics field.

Background Experience - An Armorer for fourteen firearm manufacturers, Mr. O'Kelly has toured and done research at numerous firearm and ammunition factories and firearm reference collections across the U.S., Europe, and Africa. He also served for years as a Compliance Manager for the world’s largest firearm retailer. He regularly presents seminars on firearm enforcement, ID & technology, and ammunition to law enforcement and the firearm industry. He has been a court-qualified expert witness since 1990 on firearms, ammunition, self-defense, use of force, ballistics, trade dress, etc… Mr. O'Kelly served for 11 years as a Police Officer and for 23 years as a Special Agent for the Bureau of ATF where he was Lead Instructor of Firearm Technology at the ATF National Academy, where he co-wrote the firearm lesson plans.

Litigation Support - Daniel O'Kelly has provided litigation support as an Expert Firearm Witness in federal court since 1990. He has testified in numerous trials for over 35 years and has been lauded as an "unshakable witness". A qualified Subject Matter Expert with exceptional knowledge in firearms and investigative protocol, he is recognized as a “go to” person regarding technical firearm issues.

Areas of Expertise:

View Daniel O'Kelly's Consulting Profile.

USE OF FORCE & POLICE PRACTICES EXPERT

Brian L. Landers is considered one of the top police practices experts in the United States based on his diverse experience and impeccable report writing and testimony skills. Brian has nineteen years in Law Enforcement 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. He has served as an expert for both the plaintiff and defense in over seventy cases involving law enforcement and corrections in federal courts across the United States.

Experience: A former law enforcement officer, Brian started his career in patrol and K-9 and was promoted to supervision as a sergeant and eventually as a lieutenant in charge of the agency's training, tactical unit, and hiring procedures. He also handled a variety of investigations and use of force reviews for various agencies.

Brian currently works full-time as a professor of Criminal Justice. He was appointed by the Wisconsin Department of Justice to serve on the state's Tactical Advisory Committee and Law Enforcement Ethics Advisory Committee, was a Wisconsin Criminal Justice Coordinators Committee President, and was appointed by the Wisconsin State Legislature to the state 911 Advisory Committee. He also was elected to three terms as Mayor of the City of Wisconsin Dells and three terms on the County Board of Supervisors (Columbia Co. WI).

Brian frequently serves as a media consultant on police and criminal justice issues for ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox News affiliates, and has authored columns for Officer Magazine on police practices, training, and use of force.

Areas of Expertise:

Education:

View Brian L. Landers' Consulting Profile.

Dr. Roy G. Taylor is a current Chief of Police with over 40 years of experience in a wide-range of federal, state, local, and private criminal justice positions. Dr. Taylor specializes as an expert witness in Police Practices and Procedures and Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice. Current Positions:

• Chief of Police Blue Ridge Public Safety (2014)
• President/CEO Signal 88 Security of Charlotte (2012)
• President/CEO Capitol Special Patrol (2012)
• Chief of Police Capitol Special Police (2002)
• Lt. Colonel – Provost Marshal, Army National Guard (2000)
• Antiterrorism / Emergency Management Branch Chief DoD (2007)
• Provost Marshal Joint Civil Support Task Force, Joint Chiefs of Staff (2014)

Litigation Support - Dr. Taylor is called upon to analyze cases from both defense and plaintiff perspectives. His services include case review, written reports, deposition, and trial testimony as needed. 

Areas of Expertise:

View Roy Taylor's Consulting Profile.

Emanuel Kapelsohn is an internationally recognized Firearms Training and Use of Force consultant who has instructed thousands of police and security officers, federal agents and others throughout the U.S. and abroad since 1980. A graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School, he is a practicing attorney in addition to his consulting work. 

As vice president of the Internat’l Assoc. of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors, Mr. Kapelsohn is a certified in force science and shooting scene reconstruction, and as an instructor in numerous law enforcement disciplines. He is a featured presenter at national and international instructor conferences. He has authored over 130 published articles, is Associate Editor of "Standards & Practices Guide for Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors," and principal author of "Firearms Training Standards for Law Enforcement Personnel," and "Guidelines for Simulation Training Safety." 

Mr. Kapelsohn testifies as an expert witness in civil and criminal cases in state and federal courts nationwide, and has testified by invitation before both houses of Congress. 

Testimony on the Following Subjects:

View Emanuel Kapelsohn's Consulting Profile.