Security Negligence Expert Witnesses: 20

John S. Bukata is a seasoned, goal-oriented, and performance-driven Police Executive with over 42 years of demonstrated success in a broad range of settings, including law enforcement, city government, strategic planning, child dependency, and safety and security in university campus environment. 

Litigation Support - Mr. Bukata provides expert witness services to attorneys representing plaintiff and defense in both civil and criminal cases. As a Senior Law Enforcement Professional, FBI National Academy and FBI LEEDS graduate, a Chief of Police, Executive Lieutenant, Unit Commander, and Director of Safety and Security at a large national university, he offers unique and knowledgeable opinions on Police Practices and Procedures and Negligent Security issues.

Areas of Expertise:

About Bukata & Associates

Background Experience - Mr. Bukata has been a State of Florida sworn law enforcement officer since 1981 in a supervision or leadership/management role since 1992; retiring as a Chief of Police. He has conducted and managed complex investigations in a Federal, State and local environments during his tenure as the Deputy Director of the Broward Sheriff's Office Strategic Investigations Division, formally known as the Organized Crime Division. 

Mr. Bukata has authored, managed, and evaluated police policies and procedures for over 3 decades. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Organizational Management, is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Course, and the Southern Police Institute Command Officers Development Course. Mr. Bukata has also been a university professor at various universities and colleges since 2002.

View Bukata & Associates' Consulting Profile.

Dr. Randy Atlas AIA , CPP is a Registered Architect, NCARB certified, and he practices Criminal Justice Architecture and Environmental Security Design. Atlas is a certified protection professional (CPP) with the American Society of Industrial Security (ASIS), and is an appointed member of the ASIS Security Architecture and Engineering Committee. Atlas has his doctorate in criminology and a masters of architecture. Dr Atlas is a Fellow  member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

Dr. Atlas has taught CPTED (Crime Prevention through Environmental Design) and criminal justice courses at Florida International University, Florida Atlantic University, and the University of Miami, Keiser University, and he is a trainer with the National Crime Prevention Institute at the University of Louisville. Dr. Atlas has been a technical Assistance consultant with the National Institute of Justice, National Institute of Corrections, and the Florida Department of Corrections and U.S. HUD Drug Elimination CPTED Program.

He has conducted ADA accessibility compliance audits for private and public sector clients, and served as an expert witness on over 200 premises liability lawsuits.

Dr. Atlas has been a speaker and trainer at security conferences from New Delhi, India to Seattle, Washington and has written over 200 articles in various publications on security, safety, and counter terrorism issues.

Owen Ahearn, CPM, has over 35 years of experience in Premises Liability, managing and maintaining Residential and Commercial Real Estate.  He is a Certified Property Manager®, an Accredited Residential Manager®, an Accredited Commercial Manager® and a Public Housing Manager®.  He also holds an OSHA 30 Hour General Industry certification.

Mr. Ahearn has extensive experience managing federal property (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Resolution Trust Corporation, United States Marshals Service) and private real estate throughout most of New England. He has managed and maintained commercial and residential real estate including single family homes, duplexes, triple-deckers and multi-unit dwellings, condominium associations, home-owner associations, and commercial plazas. 

Litigation Support - Mr. Ahearn is an experienced Expert Witness with expertise in property management, property maintenance, reasonable standards of care, and risk management throughout the United States as well as Canada. His services are available to attorneys' representing plaintiff and defense and include site inspections, reporting, depositions, and trial testimony.

Areas of Expertise:

View Ahearn Realty Management's Consulting Profile.

Dennis Fivecoat has over 25 years of Use of Force and Firearm experience in the Military (20 years, retired) and private sector including significant training in the area of Civilian Law Enforcement.  He has attended numerous firearm and use of force related training courses including instructor development with local and federal law enforcement agencies, tactical firearm, close quarters battle, concealed carry, force-on-force training, use-of-force, and legal updates.

Litigation Support - As an instructor-trainer (Master Instructor) in firearms and less lethal devices (pepper spray, expandable baton, defensive tactics, handcuffing), Mr. Fivecoat has a practical and academic basis in the use of deadly and less-lethal use of force by civilians.  His experience teaching firearm use, defensive tactics, and use-of-force allow him to provide opinion on not only proper use of the tool or tactic utilized, but whether the actions were reasonable under the circumstances of the incident.

Mr. Fivecoat provides consultation and testimony on the reasonable use of force, self-defense, and defense of others. Private citizens may become involved in situations (shootings, brandishing, threats with weapons, excessive force, false arrest, false imprisonment) where the reasonableness and legality of their actions are challenged. Review of actions taken, firearm use, and the education of the expert provide the foundation for determining the reasonableness of each parties’ actions. Mr. Fivecoat will review the incident and opine based on local law, training standards, and the reasonableness of the use of force under the circumstances and conditions of the incident. 

Areas of Expertise:

Background - Dennis Fivecoat is a retired US Army physician assistant with a wide variety of functional background and experience. He has seen service in eight different countries encompassing desert, jungle, snow, and maritime missions. His past responsibilities range from combat in SW Asia to hospital duties as an ICU nurse in South Carolina. He has responded during national hurricane relief efforts and somewhat smaller Defense Support to Civil Authority (DSCA) missions. Click for Full Biography.

View Dennis Fivecoat's Consulting Profile.

911 Consulting specializes in Emergency Preparedness, Training, Drills and Exercises for corporations, campuses and medical facilities. 911 Consulting offers practical solutions for preventing likely incidents, preparing for emergencies, responding to a crisis, and resuming operations. They create a custom emergency plan, train personnel, and stage drills for readiness.

Bo Mitchell was Police Commissioner of Wilton, CT for 16 years. He retired to found 911 Consulting which creates emergency, disaster recovery, business continuity, crisis communications and pandemic plans, plus training and exercise for organizations like GE HQ, Hyatt HQ, MasterCard HQ, five colleges and universities plus 29 PreK-12 schools.

Bo serves clients headquartered from Boston to LA working in their facilities from London to San Francisco. He has earned 23 certifications in homeland security, emergency management, disaster recovery, business continuity, safety and security. Mission: Trying to make America safer one workplace at a time.

Litigation Support - Bo serves as an expert in landmark court cases nationally.  He provides expert witness services to attorneys representing plaintiff and defense, including thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise: 

Professional Designations: CEM, CPP, CHS-V, CBCP, CSI-ML, HSEEP, CSSAS, CNTA, IAC, MOAB, CHSP, CHEP, CSHM, CESCO, CHCM, CFC, CSSM, CSC, CAS, TFCT3, CERT, CHSEMR, CMC