Joe Miller, an Air Force veteran, began his law enforcement career in 1988.  With over 30 years in law enforcement, Joe has held positions in small city, rural county, and large city agencies, with the last 23 years as a police officer with Salem Police Department in Oregon. During his time in the Air Force, Joe also served overseas as a tactical team member with the Emergency Services Teams. In civilian law enforcement, Joe served as a Patrol Officer, Corporal, Scuba Diver, Riot Team Member, Investigator, Defensive Tactics Instructor, and Hostage Negotiator. Joe has spent the last five years of his career assigned to the Behavioral Health Unit, responding to calls for service involving individuals in the middle of a mental health crisis. Joe has been a member of the Salem Police Department's Tactical Negotiation Team since 2005, holding various positions as Forward Negotiator, Team Trainer, Cell Supervisor, and Team Leader. During his tenure, Joe has responded to and been involved in hundreds of crisis incidents of all types. As a private consultant and trainer, Joe has worked with local hospitals, school districts, dispatch centers, and private businesses to develop and improve skills in defensive tactics, crisis communication, and de-escalation. After several years serving as an adjunct instructor at Chemeketa Community College, Joe founded Thane Training Concepts in 2008. Joe is also an associate instructor for the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) in both the mental health and defensive tactics disciplines. Joe has received numerous commendations related to his de-escalation skills as well as two life-saving awards and the Salem Police Department's Officer of the Year award. Joe is the current Oregon representative to the Western States Hostage Negotiators Association and is actively involved in training and other issues affecting Hostage Negotiators from Oregon and across the Pacific Northwest.