Terms of Service

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern access to and use of the website located at shieldpst.org and related webpages, online resources, registration functions, educational materials, assessments, communications, and training services operated by Shield Public Safety Training, Inc. ("Shield," "we," "us," or "our"). These Terms apply to website visitors, registrants, attendees, participating agencies, and other users (collectively, "you").

1. Acceptance of Terms and Authority

By using the Services, you represent that you have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms. If you register, purchase, or use the Services on behalf of a law enforcement agency, correctional agency, governmental entity, employer, organization, or other third party, you represent that you are authorized to act on its behalf for the transaction or use at issue.

If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use the Services. Certain programs, products, assessments, or services may include additional written terms, registration conditions, program policies, or agreements. If a specific written agreement signed by Shield conflicts with these Terms, the signed agreement controls to the extent of the conflict.

2. Educational Purpose; No Legal or Professional Advice

Shield provides education, training, commentary, practical resources, and professional-development services concerning public safety, law enforcement, corrections, legal developments, risk management, accessibility, technology, leadership, and related subjects. The Services are intended for educational and informational purposes only.

Nothing on the website or in any article, checklist, assessment, presentation, webinar, course, consultation, training material, or other Shield resource constitutes legal advice, creates an attorney-client relationship, or substitutes for advice from agency counsel or another appropriately qualified professional. Laws, regulations, standards, technology, policies, and judicial decisions change over time and vary by jurisdiction. Users are responsible for obtaining advice appropriate to their facts, jurisdiction, policies, contracts, and operational circumstances.

Participation in a Shield program does not guarantee legal compliance, avoidance of litigation, improved operational outcomes, or any particular result.

3. Website and Resource Use

Subject to these Terms, Shield grants you a limited, revocable, nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and use the Services for lawful personal, professional, or internal agency purposes. You may download or print materials only when Shield makes that functionality available and only for the permitted use associated with the material.

You may not use the Services in a manner that interferes with website operation, compromises security, attempts unauthorized access, introduces malicious code, scrapes or harvests data through automated means except as permitted by law and our express authorization, impersonates another person or entity, violates intellectual-property rights, or otherwise violates applicable law.

4. Registration, Accounts, and Information You Provide

When registering for training, requesting information, completing an assessment, subscribing to communications, or otherwise providing information, you agree to provide information that is accurate and reasonably complete. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of any credentials associated with your access and for activity occurring through your account or registration.

Do not submit classified information, criminal justice information that is restricted from disclosure, personal medical information, privileged communications, personally identifiable information about inmates, detainees, employees, victims, witnesses, suspects, or other individuals, or other security-sensitive information unless Shield has expressly agreed in writing to receive that category of information through a specifically designated secure process.

5. Training Registration and Payment

Program descriptions, dates, locations, faculty, tuition, discounts, capacity limits, and other registration information are stated on the applicable program page or registration checkout. Registration is not complete until any required payment is successfully processed or Shield otherwise confirms the registration.

You authorize Shield and its payment-service providers to charge the payment method you provide for authorized purchases. You are responsible for applicable charges and for ensuring that billing information is accurate. Shield does not directly store complete payment-card information when payments are processed by a third-party payment provider.

Agency, group, scholarship, promotional, early-registration, or other special pricing is subject to the conditions stated with the offer and may not be combined unless Shield expressly states otherwise.

6. Cancellations, Substitutions, Refunds, and Program Changes

Unless a program page or written registration agreement states a different policy, cancellation, refund, transfer, substitution, and no-show rules communicated for the specific program govern that registration. Where no program-specific rule is stated, requests should be submitted promptly to staff@shieldpst.org and will be evaluated in light of program commitments, venue costs, third-party charges, timing, and the circumstances presented.

Shield may modify a program's agenda, faculty, delivery method, venue, schedule, materials, or other nonessential details when reasonably necessary. Shield may postpone or cancel a program because of insufficient enrollment, instructor unavailability, facility problems, travel disruption, emergency conditions, public-health conditions, government action, severe weather, technology failure, or other circumstances beyond reasonable control.

If Shield cancels a paid program and does not provide a reasonable replacement or rescheduled option, Shield will provide the remedy stated in the applicable program policy or, if none is stated, refund the tuition paid to Shield for the cancelled program.

Unless Shield expressly agrees otherwise in writing, Shield is not responsible for airfare, lodging, ground transportation, overtime, lost work time, or other incidental or consequential expenses incurred in connection with attendance or cancellation.

7. Continuing Education and Training Credit

Shield may seek or advertise continuing legal education, law-enforcement training credit, correctional training credit, professional-development credit, or similar recognition for particular programs. Approval may depend on a state bar, regulatory body, employing agency, academy, credentialing organization, or other third party. Unless Shield expressly states that approval has been granted, references such as "pending" mean approval has not yet been obtained.

Participants remain responsible for confirming whether a program satisfies their individual licensing, certification, agency, or jurisdictional requirements and for completing attendance, reporting, or documentation requirements. Shield does not guarantee that any particular authority will award or accept credit.

8. Intellectual Property

The Services and their original content, including course materials, articles, legal updates, checklists, assessments, graphics, presentations, videos, recordings, branding, logos, page design, and compilations, are owned by Shield or used under license and are protected by applicable intellectual-property laws.

Except as expressly authorized by Shield, you may not reproduce, republish, sell, sublicense, distribute, publicly post, upload to a shared repository, create derivative commercial products from, or use Shield materials to train a commercial artificial-intelligence model or competing training product. Reasonable internal use by an attendee or participating agency is permitted when consistent with the stated purpose of the material.

"Shield," "Shield Public Safety Training," Shield logos, program names, and associated branding may not be used in a manner that suggests endorsement, sponsorship, affiliation, or authorization without prior written permission.

9. Recording and Event Conduct

Unless Shield expressly authorizes otherwise, attendees may not audio-record, video-record, livestream, photograph presentation slides for systematic reproduction, or otherwise capture or redistribute a Shield program or substantial portions of its materials. Shield may permit limited note-taking and other personal educational use.

Participants must conduct themselves professionally and must comply with reasonable venue, safety, technology, and program rules. Shield may remove or restrict a participant whose conduct is disruptive, unsafe, unlawful, harassing, or materially interferes with the program or other participants.

10. Assessments, Forms, and User Submissions

Shield may provide self-assessments, governance assessments, questionnaires, surveys, consultation intake forms, or similar tools. The quality and usefulness of any resulting analysis depends on the completeness and accuracy of the information supplied. Assessment results identify potential issues for further review; they are not audits, certifications, guarantees of compliance, legal opinions, or assurances that all risks have been identified.

You retain ownership of content you submit. You grant Shield a limited license to receive, store, process, reproduce, and use submitted content as reasonably necessary to provide the requested Service, administer the program, improve Shield's services using aggregated or de-identified information, comply with law, and protect the rights and security of Shield and its users. Shield will handle personal information as described in its applicable Privacy Policy.

11. Third-Party Services and Links

The Services may use or link to third-party platforms, payment processors, video-conferencing services, form providers, lodging providers, continuing-education authorities, publications, vendors, governmental websites, social-media platforms, and other external resources. Third-party services are governed by their own terms and privacy practices. Shield does not control and is not responsible for the availability, content, security, accuracy, or practices of third-party services merely because they are linked or integrated.

12. Accessibility

Shield seeks to make its website, training, and educational resources accessible to the audiences it serves. If you encounter an accessibility barrier or need a reasonable accommodation related to a Shield program or resource, contact staff@shieldpst.org as early as practicable. Accommodation requests will be addressed based on the circumstances, applicable law, and the nature of the program or service.

13. Privacy

Shield's collection and use of personal information is addressed in its Privacy Policy, which should be read together with these Terms. By using the Services, you acknowledge that information may be processed by service providers used to operate the website, registration, communications, payment, assessment, and training functions, subject to applicable law and contractual safeguards.

14. Disclaimer of Warranties

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS. SHIELD DISCLAIMS WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND ANY WARRANTY ARISING FROM COURSE OF DEALING OR USAGE OF TRADE. SHIELD DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE WEBSITE OR SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, SECURE, OR FREE OF HARMFUL COMPONENTS, OR THAT ALL INFORMATION WILL ALWAYS BE COMPLETE, CURRENT, OR APPLICABLE TO A PARTICULAR JURISDICTION OR SITUATION.

Nothing in these Terms excludes any warranty or right that cannot lawfully be excluded.

15. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, SHIELD AND ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, FACULTY, CONTRACTORS, VOLUNTEERS, AND AGENTS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OR FOR LOST PROFITS, LOST REVENUE, LOST DATA, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, OR SIMILAR LOSSES ARISING FROM OR RELATING TO THE SERVICES, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, SHIELD'S AGGREGATE LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO A PAID SERVICE WILL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT PAID TO SHIELD BY THE CLAIMANT FOR THE SPECIFIC SERVICE GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM DURING THE TWELVE MONTHS PRECEDING THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO LIABILITY. FOR A FREE SERVICE, SHIELD'S AGGREGATE LIABILITY WILL NOT EXCEED ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS ($100).

These limitations do not apply to liability that cannot be limited or excluded under applicable law.

16. Indemnification

To the extent permitted by applicable law, you agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Shield and its directors, officers, employees, faculty, contractors, volunteers, and agents from third-party claims, liabilities, damages, judgments, losses, and reasonable costs arising from your unlawful use of the Services, your material violation of these Terms, or your infringement or misappropriation of another person's rights. This section does not require a public agency to provide indemnification beyond the authority granted to it by applicable law.

17. Suspension or Termination of Access

Shield may suspend or terminate access to the Services when reasonably necessary to address a violation of these Terms, nonpayment, misuse, security risk, unlawful conduct, or material interference with Shield's operations. Provisions that by their nature should survive termination, including intellectual-property, disclaimer, limitation-of-liability, indemnification, and dispute provisions, will survive.

18. Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles, except to the extent federal law or another law is mandatorily applicable. Subject to any mandatory venue or jurisdiction rule applicable to a governmental entity or particular claim, any judicial proceeding arising from these Terms or the Services will be brought in a state or federal court of competent jurisdiction in California, and the parties consent to personal jurisdiction there.

Before filing a non-emergency civil action, the parties are encouraged to provide written notice of the dispute and make a good-faith effort to resolve it informally. Nothing in this section prevents a party from seeking provisional or injunctive relief where appropriate.

19. Changes to These Terms

Shield may update these Terms from time to time. The revised Terms will identify a new effective date and will apply prospectively from publication, except when a different effective date is required by law. Material changes will not retroactively alter a completed transaction unless required by law or agreed by the parties. Continued use of the Services after revised Terms take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

20. General Provisions

If any provision of these Terms is held invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in effect and the affected provision will be enforced to the maximum extent permitted by law. Shield's failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver. You may not assign your rights or obligations under these Terms without Shield's prior written consent, except as permitted by law. Shield may assign these Terms as part of a reorganization, merger, asset transfer, or similar transaction.

These Terms, together with any incorporated Privacy Policy, program-specific terms, and applicable signed agreement, constitute the agreement governing the Services within their scope.

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