Conference Planning Committee

Conference: Navigating Alzheimer's & Dementia

Craig Burge

Illinois State Police
Missing Persons Manager
AMBER Alert and Silver Search Coordinator

Craig is a graduate of Western Illinois University in Macomb, IL with a Bachelor of Science in Law Enforcement and Justice Administration.

Craig began his law enforcement career, with the Sex Offender Registration Unit of the Illinois State Police. He spent 12 years dealing with all aspects of sex offender management issues including sex offender registration, writing new sex offender laws, and training law enforcement throughout Illinois.

In December 2011 Craig was named the Illinois Missing Persons Clearinghouse Manager, the AMBER Alert Coordinator, and the Illinois Child Safety liaison. In January 2016 Craig was tasked with putting together the Illinois Silver Search Task Force.

Along with Chairing the AMBER Alert and Silver Search Task Forces, Craig is the president of the Midwest Coalition for missing person enforcement, and a member of the interstate task force on sex offenders, the Illinois human trafficking task force, and a featured speaker for the Department of Justice on Missing person issues and investigations.

Deatria Johnson

Chicago Police Department
Community Outreach Coordinator, Office of Community Policing

Deatria Johnson is a Community Outreach Coordinator at the Chicago Police Department Public Safety Headquarters' Office of Community Policing. She passionately works to be a vessel to bridge the gap of trust between the community and the police by ensuring the community has a seat at the table to provide their feedback and input on policy reform. Prior to taking on this role, Deatria worked to provide senior services at the Department of Family Support Services handling the Meals on Wheels and Golden Diner program for the City. She also has over seventeen years’ experience in providing youth services in education and nutrition. Deatria has extensive work experience in working with people with disabilities from having been the caregiver for her late father who had level four Dementia and Cancer and from giving assistance to several other family members with physical and visual disabilities and from her work with the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind and some consulting work for the Illinois Center for Rehabilitation and Education (ICREE).

Recently, she received award recognition for Outstanding Community Engagement from the Office of Community Policing and was selected to represent the Office of Community Policing in a documentary with the Carter G. Woodson Library for exceptional community partnership. She has Domestic Violence Training from (Illinois Department of Professional Regulations) and Continued Education for Professional development from the Illinois State Board of Education. Deatria is obsessed with community engagement and striving for equity and inclusion because it brings her a juggernaut of purpose and internal euphoria. As a side passion, she designs and creates Prayer Baskets for fallen officers and their families.

Deborah Pascua

Chicago Police Department
ADA Coordinator

Deborah Pascua is the ADA Compliance Officer for the Chicago Police Department. She has been serving in this role since August 2020 per consent decree mandates. She has 27 years' prior law enforcement experience and is a practicing attorney since 1990 working in the area of Employment Discrimination. As the ADA Compliance Officer, she has implemented American Sign Language training for police staff and command, drafted a Traffic Communications Guide for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, assisted with the implementation of Language Line for ASL interpretation assistance for over 10,000 police staff, worked on updating police policies and training curriculum for People with Disabilities in addition to networking with members of the community on topics of Alzheimer's, dementia, autism, diabetes, and numerous other disabilities. She works closely with the Older Adult Liaisons at all police districts on training and community programing. She also organizes the Departments activities with the Special Olympics including the Dunkin' Donuts Cop on Top Fundraising and March of Dimes organizations.

Billie Bales

Effingham Police Department

Billie Bales is the Communications Manager at the Effingham Police Department. She has been in public safety for 24 years, working nearly 20 years as a 911 Telecommunicator. She serves as the City of Effingham’s representative on the Dementia Friendly Task Force. Her experience serving as a caregiver for a loved one with dementia helps her better understand some of the challenges in the Alzheimer's/Dementia community.

Mary Stallings

Adults Activities Center Manager
Dundee Township Park District

Mary has worked for the Dundee Township Park District for 26 years. For the past 22 years, she has managed the Adult Activities Center planning daily programs, events, day trips as well as overnight trips for the senior citizens of the community. Mary works closely with the Carpentersville Police and Fire Department regarding senior issues and their needs. She hosts a Pancake Breakfast in May where proceeds support the Mental Health for First Responders and in September, she hosts a pancake breakfast with all proceeds going to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Alzheimer’s is a cause that is close to Mary’s heart, not only professionally with her seniors but also personally. Her grandmother had the disease for 15 years and her mother for 12 years. She is a community educator for the Alzheimer’s Association and she walks in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s DuPage County on Team TZ in memory of her mom.

Sally (Sarah) Bown

Chicago Police Department
Community Outreach Coordinator, Office of Community Policing

Sally Bown is currently a civilian Community Outreach Coordinator with the Chicago Police Department's Office of Community Policing. Before joining CPD in 2016, Sally was a professional librarian, a career which took her to several places around the United States, including Boston, St. Louis, several cities in Kentucky, and finally circling back to Chicago. She began with CPD as a Freedom of Information (FOIA) Officer, transitioned in 2019 to CPD's Media Affairs unit, and finally joined her dream unit of Community Policing where she focuses on policy reform, rebuilding healthy, supportive relationships between law enforcement and community members, and fostering Restorative Justice practices within the Department and throughout the city. Sally is a member of Chicago's Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and has been trained in Search & Rescue, disaster medical relief, fire safety, crowd control and has been privileged to assist with the training of the CPD vapor K9 unit.

Alzheimer's Association Illinois Chapter

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