Pepper Spray / Mace / Taser Expert Witnesses: 13

Chief Chet Epperson (Ret.), MBA, has over 40 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.

Michael Corbett, CFE, CEDS, CAMS, PI, is an Investigations and Compliance Professional with 35 years of leadership in the conduct, management, and oversight of complex investigations. After more than thirty years with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Mr. Corbett offers extensive experience in all phases of investigations to include development of investigative leads; witness identification and interviews; development and management of informants; evidence collection and analysis; operational planning, trial preparation and testimony. He has extensive experience in leading multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional investigations as well as policies, procedures and programs impacting operations.

Mr. Corbett has proven expertise in sensitive international operations requiring close coordination with foreign government officials and agencies and is experienced in working within the diplomatic and consular communities as well as with private sector interests abroad. Experienced in the detection, investigation and mitigation of official corruption.

Areas of Expertise:

Education, Certifications, and Licenses:
Bachelor of Science, Criminal Justice Administration, University of Central Missouri
Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)
Certified E-Discovery Specialist (CEDS)
Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS)
Licensed Private Investigator, Owner/Manager of a licensed Texas Investigations Company (State License A04186901)

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). He is also 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 $300M and earned plaintiffs over $160 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 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
• COVID Detentions & Arrests

David T. Sweeney is a Police Policy and Procedure expert and a 34-year veteran police leader with Oregon State University PD and Seattle PD.  He has decades of experience supervising a large number of sergeants and officers. assisting with expert reviews of policing best practices for pursuits, use of force, security, and a variety of legal standards for police.

Litigation Support - Mr. Sweeney's goal is to improve best practices in policing by offering expert witness and police consultation services. A trained mediator specializing in workplace conflicts, he provides honest, unbiased opinions. Mr. Sweeney has spent 20 years as a sergeant and lieutenant, responsible for training and reviewing topics such as police pursuits, use of force, de-escalation, police supervision, less lethal weapons, active shooter, SWAT, crowd control, legal standards and more.

 Areas of Expertise:

View David T. Sweeney's Consulting Profile.

Brian L. Landers 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.

Experience: As a law enforcement officer, Mr. Landers 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 and hiring procedures. 

Mr. Landers has over 25 years of experience in law enforcement training, including 12 years of criminal justice training. He served 3 term as Mayor of the City of Wisconsin Dells and 3 terms as County Board of Supervisors (Columbia Co.WI). He has participated on the Wisconsin DOJ Tactical Advisory Committee and Wisconsin DOJ Ethics Advisory Committee. He was a Wisconsin Criminal Justice Coordinators President and also served on the Wisconsin Legislature 911Committee.

Mr. Landers frequently serves as a media consultant on police and criminal justice issues for ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox News affiliates.

Litigation Support - Mr. Landers' expert consulting and testimony is primarily focused on federal civil rights cases. His clients include both plaintiffs and defendants and he has been counted on to serve as an expert in high-profile cases. His services include thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

Certification:

View Brian L. Landers' Consulting Profile.

Robert T. Johnson is a Law Enforcement Veteran with 32 years of active service. As a retired Lieutenant Colonel from the Illinois State Police, Mr. Johnson continues to serve as a private consultant and expert witness regarding Law Enforcement Policies and Practices most frequently for Use of Force and Police Pursuits but has also testified regarding other police policy & practices issues. He also conducts Sensitive Internal Investigations as an independent investigator for municipalities regarding allegations of Police Misconduct.

Mr. Johnson has extensive experience in Police Administration, Management and Supervision, Criminal Investigations, Use of Force and Officer Invoved Shooting Investigations,Patrol Procedures, Complaint/Internal Investigations and Task Force Operations. Robert Johnson has been qualified as an expert witness in state and federal court. He has consulted and testified for numerous police agencies as well as plaintiffs in litigation regarding the use of force/deadly force, pursuits, emergency vehicle response, and other policy issues. Mr. Johnson has been retained as an expert in well over 150 cases and has testified at several civil trials, State & Federal.

Areas of Expertise:

• Agency Policies, Practices and Customs
• Batons, Flashlights and other Impact Weapons
• Chemical Irritants & Electrical Weapons
• Deadly Force; Shooting Avoidance and Alternatives
• Employee Dishonesty Investigations
• Neck Restraints and Similar Defensive Tactics
• Positional Restraint Asphyxia
• Prisoner Transport, Restraints, Handcuffing and Hog-tying
• Retention of a Known Unfit Employee or Negligent Entrustment of a Weapon
• Search and Seizure
• Standards for Discipline, Internal Affairs Procedures, (In)Adequate Punishment
• Use/Protection of Confidential Informants
• Vehicle Pursuit & Emergency Response Policies & Techniques

View Consulting Profile.

Harry C. McCann, MPA, is recognized as an expert in Policy, Procedure, and Training by the Federal Courts in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the Northern District of Georgia, the Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania and has provided consultation, expert testimony or reports to law firms, police departments, correctional institutions, and municipalities throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maine, Maryland, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Arizona, New Mexico and Delaware in the areas of the use of force, in custody death claims, special response teams, arrest procedures, Tasers, training, PREA, classification and legal issues.

Background Experience - Throughout his law enforcement career, Mr. McCann has been responsible for the writing and implementation of policy and procedure relating to the Use of Force, Emergency Procedures, Prison Rape Elimination Act, Special Response Team protocols, Staff Training, Patrol Procedures, and Legal Issues. As the prior Director of Law Enforcement / Police Training in Bucks County (PA), the fourth largest county in Pennsylvania, he has been responsible for developing, coordinating, and implementation training programs to approximately 800 police officers representing 42 police departments.

Litigation Support - With 37 years of law enforcement expertise in the federal, state and county level, Harry McCann offers a unique perspective of knowledge and expertise in all facets of training, policy, procedure, and case review. Mr. McCann has continually demonstrated his ability to evaluate the issues and present himself in a clear, concise, thorough, and professional manner. His preparation has been acknowledged among his peers and has been honed by 35 years of college teaching and staff development instruction. He offers guidance and expert reports in matters dealing with:

• Correctional / Police Practices and Procedures
• Police, Correctional, Court Document Interpretation
• Use of Force
• Training Issues and Standards
• DUI Checkpoint Operations
• Wrongful Imprisonment and False Arrest
• Emergency Procedures
• PREA
• Correctional classification
• Police/Correctional Standards

Capt. Kenneth M. Sanders has over 30 years of experience in the field of Law Enforcement. The last 15 years, Capt. Sanders served as the Director of one of the largest Police Academies in Louisiana, training approximately 10,000 people per year. Upon retirement, he was the Senior Master Instructor for the state, and responsible for all curriculum development and all instructor development for the entire state.

Internal Auditor / Assessor / Consultant: At the request of law enforcement agencies, jails, and prisons, Capt. Sanders conducts internal assessments for compliance with applicable law, policy, and standards. He also writes and edits new lesson plans, revises existing lesson plans, and works within state agencies as the final editor of legal training for law enforcement academies and officers.

Litigation Support - A Subject Matter Expert, Capt. Sanders has provided expert witness services to private law firms, law firms retained by law enforcement agencies and officers, the FBI, the US Attorney, and the Department of Justice. Representing both plaintiff and defendant, he has been used for Grand Jury Investigations, written opinions, oral opinions, and courtroom testimony. 

Capt. Sanders has been retained in US District Court for cases related to Traditional Law Enforcement, Jails, and Correctional Facilities. 

Areas of Expertise:

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.

Beth A. Mohr, CFE, CFCS, CAMS, CCCI, MPA, PI, is a Law Enforcement / Police Misconduct expert with over 30 years of sworn and non-sworn investigative experience. Ms. Mohr is credentialed as a Nationally Certified Law Enforcement Instructor by the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training, and is one of fewer than 150 individuals who have been nationally certified as an expert law enforcement instructor.  She is a Certified Fraud Examiner, Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS), Certified Financial Crimes Specialist (CFCS) and a Certified Cyber Crimes Investigator (CCCI). She is also a Private Investigator licensed in New Mexico, Arizona, and California.

During her career with the San Diego Police Department, Ms. Mohr she was awarded three Commanding Officer’s Citations, which are the highest awards offered by the San Diego Police Department.  After retiring from the San Diego Police Department, she conducted death penalty mitigation investigations, and other complex felony investigations, including homicide and white-collar cases, for the Whatcom County, Washington, Public Defender’s Office.   This includes conducting investigations of allegations of police misconduct for the City of Albuquerque Independent Review Office.  Ms. Mohr recently chaired the City of Albuquerque’s Police Oversight Board, a civilian board which was created as part of the US Department of Justice’s Consent Decree with the City of Albuquerque and the Albuquerque Police Department. 

Ms. Mohr has taught courses on law enforcement topics including interviewing techniques, investigative ethics, evidence collection, financial and fraud investigations, and many other topics.  Her ethics courses, investigative courses, and fraud courses are certified for law enforcement credit.  Ms. Mohr is a POST Certified law enforcement instructor in California, and a Nationally Certified Law Enforcement Instructor.  

Litigation Support - Beth A. Mohr is available as a consulting or testifying expert anywhere in North America.  She is neutral, fair, and her opinions are rooted in provable facts.  She strives to balance her cases between defense and plaintiff-sided cases, and also provides habeas consulting services.  Ms. Mohr has testified as an expert in New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Washington state, in federal and state courts, on a variety of subjects, including police procedures, police misconduct, white collar crime, and fraud examinations. 

Areas of Expertise:

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.

Adam Bercovici has almost 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. 

In the entertainment industry, Mr. Bercovici has been an on-air talent, producer, and script and story consultant.  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: 

Michael J. Canaan, CPP CFLC, is a Premises Liability Expert Witness with over 45 years of experience in military and civil law enforcement, as well as corporate and private sector security and investigative positions.

Assignments have taken him from the Bering Sea to Southeast Alaska, across Canada and the United States, to countries in Central and South American in case venues ranging from educational settings, amphitheaters and stadiums, nightclubs and sports bars, ships, casinos, retail environments, food processing facilities, malls, and shopping centers.

Expert cases have involved evaluating failure to meet best practices, duty or standard of care in areas such as:

• Inadequate or negligent hiring, retention, training, supervision, staffing, and terminations
• Use of force or excessive force, threats, harassment, and intimidation
• Inadequate or non-non-existent policies and procedures, post orders
• Assaults, voyeurism, rape, sexual assault, robbery, shootings, stabbing, and homicide
• Security technology integration, improper or inadequate physical security infrastructure or systems installation
• Workplace violence

Mr. Canaan has worked on nearly 50 expert cases, with testimony experience in both deposition and trial.

He is Board Certified in Security Management by the American Society for Industrial Security, International. ASIS is the largest professional security practitioner association with over 38,000 members worldwide, of which only 2200 have received this prestigious certification. Mr. Canaan is also a Certified Forensic Litigation Consultant with the Forensic Expert Witness Association.

View Michael Canaan's Consulting Profile.