Crowd Control Expert Witnesses: 7

Adam Bercovici has over 40 years of experience in the Police and Security field. Mr. Bercovici spent 30 of those years with the LAPD, 20 as a supervisor and manager. He is currently a retired LAPD lieutenant and former security company CEO.

Background: Mr. Bercovici's leadership assignments included the Criminal Investigation Section- Major Crimes Division-The Joint Terrorism Task Force, The FBI Violent Crime Task Force ( where he supervised the FBI Fugitive Task Force), The Special Investigation Section, and Homicide Special Section. 

Since 2012, Mr. Bercovici has worked as a licensed private investigator and subject matter expert, and consultant in the areas of Police Practices and Complex Police Investigations. His clients have included major law firms, insurance companies, and corporations.  Mr. Bercovici is currently retained on several high-profile cases.  He is an experienced Expert Witness who has written numerous Rule 26 Reports and has testified in both State and Federal courts.  Writing examples can be provided.  Mr. Bercovici has been an on-air talent, producer, and script and story consultant in the entertainment industry.  He was the Co-Talent on The History Channel Series JFK Declassified-Tracking Oswald.  Mr. Bercovici was the Executive Producer for American Cartel for Discovery Plus. 

Litigation Support: Adam Bercovici splits his work between defense and plaintiff. He has been retained by major civil rights firms, major municipalities and their legal counsel, plaintiff attorneys, city attorneys, and criminal defense attorneys. Mr. Bercovici accepts work based on the merits of the individual case.

Areas of Expertise: 

Police Use of Force Security Guard Operations Police Pursuit Policy Crowd Control Wrongful Death Public Safety Employment Private Investigator Best Practices

Active Shooter / Response and Training Kidnapping Special Undercover Tactics Complex Police Investigations Homicide Investigations K9 Operations Premises Liability Brady Issues

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:

Police Standards & Practices Use of Force & Deadly Force Electronic Control Devices Standards of Conduct High Speed Vehicle Pursuits & Chases Law Enforcement Policies and Procedures

Failure to Train Law Enforcement Malpractice Failure to Supervise Violations of §1983 Civil Rights Personnel Selection & Retention Police K-9

View Roy Taylor's Consulting Profile.

John M. White, CPP, CHPA is Board Certified in Security Management; Certified Protection Professional (CPP); Certified Healthcare Protection Administrator (CHPA); and a Published Author.

Mr. White has been a professional security practitioner, security consultant, and expert witness since 1999. He has over 40 years of experience in Corporate Security Management and Law Enforcement and Security consulting, including physical security, security operations, regulatory compliance, & security training. Prior to forming Protection Management, LLC, Mr. White served a distinguished career in law enforcement, corporate security, and the military.

As a security consultant, Mr. White has developed and/or assessed security programs involving multi-unit residential properties, hotels/motels, homeless shelters, tourism services, places of worship, retail stores, high rise office/residential buildings, food services, entertainment services, healthcare services, hospitals, long-term care facilities/assisted living, parking facilities, college campuses, lounges, and other commercial properties.

In 2013, Mr. White was approached by publisher Butterworth-Heinemann and asked to write a book on security risk assessments. That book, titled: Security Risk Assessment – Managing Physical and Operational Security was published in July 2014 and is available online through numerous bookstores.

Litigation Support - Mr. White has been retained by law firms representing plaintiffs and defendants in negligent security, premises liability, and use of force lawsuits in the field of security. His services include case consultation, document review and analysis, deposition, arbitration and mediation, and trial testimony when necessary.

Areas of Expertise:

Crime Prevention Emergency Preparedness Healthcare Security Premises Security Issues Security Risk Assessments Security Audits

Security Training Security Management Security Program Development Security Policies Use of Force Workplace Violence

View John White's Consulting Profile.

Richard M. Santoro, CPP, is an ASIS International board-certified Protection Professional (CPP) and an experienced Hospitality, Resort, Premises Liability Security Expert. He has 30 years of corporate security experience that includes responsibility for security operations, risk management, executive protection, physical security, CCTV design and operation, investigations, special events, and labor action preparation.

Litigation Support - As an independent security expert, Mr. Santoro has opined, developed, planned, and consulted on various security operations, physical security, target hardening, emergency management, event planning, nightclub security, and matters for numerous public and private organizations. He has experience with hospitality, casino gaming, nightclub, bar, cash-in-transit (CIT), healthcare, public sector, retail, convenience store, petroleum vendor, and entertainment venue security litigation consulting.

As Principal of Interbrief.Org, Rick Santoro has the necessary expertise to assist in litigated matters from the beginning of the case through trial. He offers forensic research relating to:

Security Negligence Foreseeability Negligent Investigations Policies / Procedures Standard of Care Management and Supervision Training, Personal Safety

Threat Assessment Crime Prevention Wrongful Detention Workplace Violence Resort / Hospitality and Gaming Security CCTV Operation Retail Major Crime

Credentials:

• New Jersey Security Officer Reform Act (S.O.R.A) Instructor
• UNLV/DHS Soft Target Terrorism Awareness Instructor
• Graduate of FBI Citizens Academy
• Federal Secret Clearance
• Member of Department of Homeland Security Commercial Sector Advisory Council

View Rick Santoro's Consulting Profile.

Gary Deel, Ph.D., J.D. has 10 years of experience in executive-level positions in the hospitality industry and 10 years of experience teaching hospitality management and law curriculum for some of the nation's top hotel schools.

Dr. Deel holds both a Ph.D. in Hospitality and a J.D. in Law, so he understands the nuances of expert witness testimony from the perspective of attorney strategy. He has also worked in a variety of different hospitality industry capacities including operations, sales, security and risk management, training and administration, and others. His services are available to help attorneys make the strongest possible arguments for clients in hospitality-related cases. Dr. Deel offers expert witness services nationwide in the areas of:

Hotels Resorts Restaurants Travel and Tourism Meetings and Events

Theme Parks Airlines Cruise Lines Casinos Golf Courses

Recent Cases:

• Suit against Miami beach resort involving catastrophic injury in the ocean and hotel duty to warn about latent hazards known to hotel and not obvious to visitors (plaintiff).
• Suit against Orlando city center convention hotel involving sexual assault of a minor guest by an employee and hotel duty to monitor employee whereabouts and activities (plaintiff).

Dennis Fivecoat has over 25 years of Use of Force and Firearm experience in the Military (20 years, retired) and private sector including significant training in the area of Civilian Law Enforcement.  He has attended numerous firearm and use of force related training courses including instructor development with local and federal law enforcement agencies, tactical firearm, close quarters battle, concealed carry, force-on-force training, use-of-force, and legal updates.

Litigation Support - As an instructor-trainer (Master Instructor) in firearms and less lethal devices (pepper spray, expandable baton, defensive tactics, handcuffing), Mr. Fivecoat has a practical and academic basis in the use of deadly and less-lethal use of force by civilians.  His experience teaching firearm use, defensive tactics, and use-of-force allow him to provide opinion on not only proper use of the tool or tactic utilized, but whether the actions were reasonable under the circumstances of the incident.

Mr. Fivecoat provides consultation and testimony on the reasonable use of force, self-defense, and defense of others. Private citizens may become involved in situations (shootings, brandishing, threats with weapons, excessive force, false arrest, false imprisonment) where the reasonableness and legality of their actions are challenged. Review of actions taken, firearm use, and the education of the expert provide the foundation for determining the reasonableness of each parties’ actions. Mr. Fivecoat will review the incident and opine based on local law, training standards, and the reasonableness of the use of force under the circumstances and conditions of the incident. 

Areas of Expertise:

Reasonable Use of Force Excessive Force Local Law Training Standards Firearms Tactical Firearms Firearm Brandishing Pepper Spray Expandable Baton

Defensive Tactics Threats with Weapons Handcuffing Close Quarters Battle Conceal Carry Self Defense Defense of Others False Arrest False Imprisonment

Background - Dennis Fivecoat is a retired US Army physician assistant with a wide variety of functional background and experience. He has seen service in eight different countries encompassing desert, jungle, snow, and maritime missions. His past responsibilities range from combat in SW Asia to hospital duties as an ICU nurse in South Carolina. He has responded during national hurricane relief efforts and somewhat smaller Defense Support to Civil Authority (DSCA) missions. Click for Full Biography.

View Dennis Fivecoat's Consulting Profile.

911 Consulting specializes in Emergency Preparedness, Training, Drills and Exercises for corporations, campuses and medical facilities. 911 Consulting gives you practical solutions for preventing likely incidents, preparing for emergencies, responding to a crisis and resuming operations. We create a custom emergency plan, train your personnel, and stage drills to make sure you're ready. 

Bo Mitchell was Police Commissioner of Wilton, CT for 16 years. He retired in February 2001 to found 911 Consulting which creates emergency, disaster recovery, business continuity, crisis communications and pandemic plans, plus training and exercises for organizations like GE HQ, Hyatt HQ, MasterCard HQ, four colleges and universities plus 25 secondary schools. He serves clients headquartered from Boston to LA working in their facilities from London to San Francisco. 

Bo has earned 22 certifications in Homeland Security, Emergency Management, Disaster Recovery, Business Continuity, Safety and Security. He also serves as an expert in landmark court cases nationally. Bo is a Certified Emergency Manager, a Certified Business Continuity Professional and Certified in Homeland Security. Professional Designations: CEM, CPP, CHS-V, CBCP, CSI-ML, HSEEP, CNTA, IAC, MOAB, CHSP, CHEP, CSHM, CESCO, CHCM, CFC, CSSM, CSC, CAS, TFCT3, CERT, CHSEMR, CMC