“Bad Hire, Big Consequences: Liability Lessons for 2026”

Your greatest asset and your greatest liability are the people that represent your agency every day, so the hiring and vetting process can never be limited to finding "warm bodies", even in the face of recruiting and retention crises.  In this presentation, Attorney Matt Dolan will review the sources of short-term and long-term liability incurred by law enforcement agencies when making hiring decisions based on background investigations, academy performance, and conduct during the field training program. (3 Hours F6 Credit)

Matt Dolan
Attorney

Matt Dolan is a licensed attorney in the State of Illinois who specializes in training and advising law enforcement agencies in matters of legal liability, risk management, and ethical leadership. His training focuses on helping agency leaders create ethically and legally sound policies and procedures as a proactive means of minimizing liability and maximizing agency effectiveness. Matt received his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from DePaul University and his J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law. A member of a law enforcement family dating back three generations, he serves as both Director and Instructor with Dolan Consulting Group. He has trained and advised thousands of public safety professionals throughout the United States in matters of legal liability and risk management. He has provided in-service training for hundreds of law enforcement agencies including the Michigan State Police, Indiana State Police, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, St. Louis County Police Department, Harris County (TX) Sheriff’s Office, and the Alaska State Troopers. He has provided training to dozens of professional organizations including the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association, Missouri Sheriffs’ Association, Ohio Sheriffs’ Association, Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police, Maryland Sheriffs' Association, Maryland Chiefs of Police Association, and the National Internal Affairs Investigators Association (N.I.A.I.A.). Matt has published dozens of articles for the Dolan Consulting Group in the areas of recruiting and hiring, internal affairs, and police ethics. His training courses include Background Investigations in Law Enforcement, Internal Affairs Investigations: Legal Liability and Best Practices, Confronting the Toxic Officer, Recruiting and Hiring for Law Enforcement, Making Discipline Stick®, Supervisor Liability for Law Enforcement, Police Ethics, and Performance Evaluations for Public Safety. In December of 2024, he published his first book, Police Liability: A Guide for Law Enforcement Leaders of All Ranks.