SPOTLIGHT INVESTIGATIVE Register for ALOA 2021 in Orlando S o much is happening in 2021… where to begin? Work is picking up, and I have a couple of forensic cases to review. I had only one last year. ALOA SPAI sold its headquarters building, and with it went the training center. With the state of the economy and the new government changes, I believe that this was an excellent move for the time. Everything I hear is indicating we are headed toward a real estate market crash, and that is always a good time to buy a new property. Kudos to the ALOA team for making this move now! The 2021 ALOA Convention & Security Expo in Orlando will be a new awakening for our industry. There will be classes and hands-on events for everyone in the foren- sic field. Whatever your forensic specialty is, make sure you have the latest knowledge so that you can be the best in your chosen field. I cannot stress how important educa- tion is to a forensic investigator. Keep in mind that your local community college of- fers criminal justice courses, and a lot of these will help you qualify to take the Certi- fied Forensic Locksmith (CFL) exam. Courses that transfer to IAIL requirements are: Evidence Handling, Evidence Report Writing, Crime Scene inspection and Forensic Photography. If you aren’t sure of your course, contact me directly with a copy of the syllabus to be reviewed. Recertification Forms The new recertification forms were sent to ALOA Education, and they should start administering the forms once everyone signs off. I want to thank Beta Tam for all his hard work in pulling together these requirements for recertification. Our concern has been that there must be strict guidelines for recertification so that our credentials can withstand scrutiny from attorneys looking to discredit our witness. For those of you who are active investigators, the requirements are nothing but restating your active cases. For those of you who have not worked a case in the past three years, you will be required to do a case report on a topic of the CFL committee’s choosing. This is to show that you still have the skills to meet your credential. Associations that are connected to forensic investigations are listed below. Visit them and see if you would like to be involved as a member. www.savta.org Forensic-Related Associations Q Q IAATI (International Association of Auto Theſt Investigators) IAATI.org NITA (National Institute for Trial Ad- vocacy) nita.org Q Expert Witness Companies Q TASA (The TASA Group) tasanet.com Q RTG (The Round Table Group) Round- TableGroup.com If you have any questions, suggestions, or ideas please contact me directly at [email protected]. Tom Resciniti Demont, AHC, AFDI, CAI, CFDI, CFL, CMIL, CML, CMST, ICML, IFDI, LSFDI, ARL is the president of International Association of Locksmiths. He can be reached at [email protected]. Get Published! IAIL members: Submit your articles for the Investigative Spotlight department. Send your information to Ross Squire at [email protected]. Investigative May/June 2021 | SAFE & VAULT TECHNOLOGY 7