The National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE) is celebrating its 30th year. For the last three decades, NACOLE has worked to foster the growth of civilian oversight of law enforcement, jails, and prisons and provide support for those building and attempting to maintain effective and sustainable oversight agencies throughout the United States and around the world. We are proud to celebrate 30 years of progress, preservation, and perseverance at this year's annual conference.

NACOLE and the civilian oversight community it serves has embraced principles and practices that prioritize accountability and transparency and encourage law enforcement agencies to reflect the values of the communities they serve. While civilian oversight of law enforcement has expanded tremendously since 1994, with approximately 250 agencies throughout the United States. Nevertheless, it continues to face existential attacks and challenges. Some state governments have preempted local civilian oversight initiatives and in many jurisdictions oversight agencies lack adequate resources and access to the documents necessary to effectively carry out the mandates they have been given. These obstacles represent just a few of the threats that civilian oversight of law enforcement, jails, and prisons face on a daily basis.

To address the challenges that civilian oversight currently confronts, conference sessions will focus on thinking beyond the traditional considerations of civilian oversight; sharpening skills for effective oversight; involving and engaging stakeholders; jail and prison oversight; nontraditional approaches to building and/or maintaining effective oversight; and expanding oversight's impact. Attendees will have the opportunity to select from over 25 plenary, concurrent, and roundtable sessions to share experiences and engage with peers and civilian oversight experts.