Public Assembly Expert Witnesses

Dr. Michael J. Fagel, PhD, CEM has over 30 years of broad based experience in a variety of fields relating to Crisis Management & Recovery, Consequence Management & Emergency Management. He provides specialized assistance in OSHA compliance assistance and training in Disaster Management, Emergency Response as well as Occupational Safety and Health. Aurora Safety has extensive experience in litigation guidance drawing from decades of experience in all phases of safety and emergency response and planning. They provide guidance to attorneys and insurance companies on a variety of topics and offer effective evaluations regarding the many facets of each case.

Dr. Fagel provides expert witness services to cases in across North America. He has served various Federal Agencies providing Occupational Safety Services at disaster sites. He also was EMS coordinator for the fire rescue division in North Aurora, as well as serving as an officer in the local fire service. Dr. Fagel currently teaches industrial safety and emergency medical services at several college locations and lectures at various professional trade conferences throughout the country. He offers Expert Witness Services and Litigation Support to attorneys representing both Plaintiff and Defense.

Areas of Expertise:

• Disaster / Crisis Management and Recovery
• COVID-19 / Coronavirus Recovery
• OSHA Compliance
• Voluntary Protection Programs (VPPs)
• Fire, EMS, Disaster Management
• Site Inspections
• Training Assessment Management and Development of Safety Programs
• Critical Incident / Crisis Management Site Inspections
• Safety Audits

View Consulting Profile.

Richard D. Morman, CPP, CSSP, PPS, is a career Public Safety veteran. He served with The Ohio State University Police Division for over 29 years, retiring as the Deputy Chief of Police, a position he held for 10 years. Mr. Morman has been involved in all facets of Law Enforcement, including management and supervision, having a total of twenty two years in supervision and management. In 2010, he was selected as The Ohio State University Department of Public Safety Employee of the Year. Mr. Morman holds three professional certifications, Certified Protection Professional (CPP) designation from ASIS, Certified Sports Security Professional (CSSP) as designated by the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4), and certified Personal Protection Specialist (PPS) as designated by the Executive Protection Institute. 

Mr. Morman has vast Sports and Special Event Security planning and management experience, he is considered a subject matter expert in celebratory rioting, crowd management, sports and special event security planning and management, venue security planning and management and executive protection. In December 2011, he was invited by the US Department of Criminal Justice to present to a group of his peers in Best Practices for Large Venue Security. Mr. Morman has contributed to the Bureau of Justice Assistance publication: Practitioners’ Thoughts on Promising Practices for Securing College and University Spectator Events From Criminal Extremist Attacks and participated in developing the NCS4 Intercollegiate Athletics Safety and Security Best Practices Guide. 

Litigation Support - Mr. Morman provides expert witness services to attorneys for plaintiff and defendant which include written reports, depositions, and trial testimony as needed. 

Security and Police Practices & Procedures Specialty Focus:

Inadequate or Wrongful Security Wrongful Law Enforcement Act Higher Education Safety and Security Sports Event & Venue Security Special Event Security

Crowd Management Executive Protection Work Place Violence Higher Education Law Enforcement Threat Assessment Teams

View Richard D. Morman's Consulting Profile.

Jeffrey C. Fox, PhD, MBA, MS, BLS, AAS, CHPA IV, CHS IV, served for 32 years in the field of Public Safety, 21 of which were with the VA State Police. He has over 20 years of personnel, administrative, and program management experience. Dr. Fox was a member of the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute where he holds a Level 4 Homeland Security Certification. He has completed the Federal Emergency Management Agency Professional Development Courses and was certified through the Virginia Department of Emergency Management as a trainer for incident command system training courses. As a practitioner, he was involved in the response and management of all types of events such as major disasters including floods, hurricanes, snow/ice storms, and the largest traffic crash in Virginia history. He has also managed and responded to civil unrests, protests, a sniper attack, dignitary protection, special event planning, and many major crimes.

Background - Dr. Fox began his law enforcement career as a military policeman in the U.S. Army and served as a town police officer, trooper, sergeant, first sergeant, and lieutenant. He served as a field lieutenant with the VSP and served as the assistant training officer where he managed the daily operations of the training academy. He also served as the statewide incident management program manager for the VA Department of Transportation in the operations and security division. 

Teaching / Speaking Experience - Dr. Fox retired from state service as the Program Coordinator and Assistant Professor for the Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness and Criminal Justice Cohort Programs for VA Commonwealth University. He served as an Assistant Professor and Chair of the Public Safety Adult Degree Completion Programs (Bachelors) [Criminal Justice and Homeland Security & Emergency Management] for Bluefield College. While the assistant training officer for the VSP, Dr. Fox collaborated with the University of Virginia and together they created the National Criminal Justice Command College. Having spent 20 years instructing at various criminal justice academies in a plethora of criminal justice, instructor development, and leadership courses, Dr. Fox has taught over 560 criminal justice and homeland security / emergency preparedness courses, and management / leadership courses which include over 18,000 classroom hours. He has taught over 85 criminal justice topics in police academies, which include over 4,000 hours of classroom instruction. Dr. Fox has served on over 35 boards or committees relating to criminal justice, homeland security, or training issues. He was tasked with overseeing the implementation of NIMS compliance issues for two large state agencies totaling approximately 6,000 employees. He has also overseen the development of several large distance-learning programs. Dr. Fox served as chairperson and committee member for many doctoral students in the public service leadership discipline. During his public service career, he earned over 167 commendations, awards, and honors for enforcement and service work, public speaking and instructing, and his academic achievements. 

Litigation Support - Dr. Fox serves as an expert witness for attorneys representing Plaintiff and Defendant. His services include case review, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed. 

Areas of Public Safety Expertise:

Leadership and Management Ethics Instructor Development / Training Basic Police Training In-service Training Field Training Officer Training / Development National Incident Management Incident Command Training Emergency Management Training Emergency Preparedness / Response Crisis Management Traffic Safety Traffic Incident Management Training

General Criminal Justice Procedure and Policies Patrol Criminal Interdiction Search and Seizure Use of Force DUI / DWI and Drug Enforcement Drug User Recognition Investigations Criminal Behavior Homeland Security / Terrorism Risk Assessments NIMS Compliance / Implementation Agency Policy Development or Review

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.

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.

Timothy A. Dimoff, CPP, founder and president of SACS Consulting & Investigative Services, Inc. a leading security consulting firm, has over 40 years of experience in Law Enforcement and Security matters for both the public and private sectors. He is multi-certified in the security field and is considered one of the nation's leading authorities on negligent security procedures; security & vulnerability issues; police procedures and operations including use of force; high-risk workplace and human resource issues; narcotics investigations and enforcement.  Mr. Dimoff is board certified by ASIS as a Certified Protection Professional (CPP?) which is internationally recognized as the “gold standard” certification for security management professionals, demonstrating their knowledge and competency in seven key domains of security.

Litigation Support - Mr. Dimoff has over 20 years of experience in testifying and consulting as an expert witness in over 500 cases and trials for both the plaintiff and the defense sides. His expert witness experience includes law enforcement procedures, security negligence of business or physical premises, human resources issues, meeting standards of practice in hiring and termination, employment practices, proper documentation, training, supervision, policies and procedures, harassment, discrimination, internal investigations, threats and excessive use of force.

Mr. Dimoff is a renowned speaker, trainer, and author who has offered expert commentary to national media including Dateline, NBC, CNN, The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, The LA Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal.  He is the author of four books, including How to Recognize Substance Abuse, The YOU in Business, and Life Rage, a chilling examination of societal rage and safeguards against it.

Mr. Dimoff holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sociology with an emphasis in Criminology from Denison University.

Areas of Expertise: 

Security Policies and Procedures Use of Force Human Resource Issues including Hiring and Firing Terminated Employee Risks, and Policies Police Procedures Physical Security  Assessments

Negligence Determinations for Businesses Houses of Worship, and Schools High Threat and Security Vulnerability Analysis Drugs and Substance Abuse Issues Lone Wolf , Active Shooters, and Hate Groups Law Enforcement Procedures and Operations

View Timoth A. Dimoff's Consulting Profile.

Robert J. Coventry, Jr., CPP, CHS (III), has over 25 years of experience in the Security, Protection, and investigations field. He has been the Chief Operations Officer, (COO) of Starside Security and Investigation, Inc. (Starside) since 1991. Mr. Coventry is Board Certified in Security Management and a Certified Protection Professional, (CPP) with the American Society for Industrial Security, International. He is a Licensed Private Investigator, holds a Private Patrol Operator License in Arizona and California, and is a Private Investigator Security Manager in Florida. He is also a California Registered Locksmith.

Starside, under Mr. Coventry, has provided Armed and Unarmed Detention Security Officers and Transportation Officers for numerous Governmental agencies and provides security for the financial, entertainment and other commercial industries. He has nationwide and international security consultant experience in Durban South Africa prior to the World Cup, and numerous times in Mexico, France, United Kingdom, Canada, and the Cayman Islands. He has provided executive protection as well as armed and unarmed uniformed security and patrol services in both the public and private sectors. Recognized for his expertise, Mr. Coventry sits on Advisory Boards for California State University, Fullerton's Private Investigation and Security Program and Grossmont College Adult Corrections Academy.

Litigation Support - Mr. Coventry has been serving as a Security / Use of Force expert witness throughout his career. His services are available to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant and include consulting, investigations, case Review, arbitration, and testimony.

Areas of Expertise:

Bank Security Bars / Lounges / Night Clubs Deadly / Excessive Force Hospital Security Inadequate / Negligent Security

Private Investigators Security Guards Security Management Special Event Security Workplace Violence

View Robert Coventry's Consulting Profile.

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. Mr. 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 - Mr. 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.