Law enforcement officers from Centre, Clinton, Clearfield and Mifflin counties return to school Monday in a program offered by the University.

Officers who responded to an invitation from the University's Continuing Education program will start a four-day workshop on topics ranging from drug identification to satanic cults, said Theresa McElwain, director of the special services section of the State College Bureau of Police Services.

The session, funded by the Pennsylvania Municipal Police Officers Education and Training Commission, is an annual, in-service training program where officers are given the latest information on high-sensitivity issues in the county, she said.

The same workshop, scheduled for the Keller Conference Center on campus, will be held for three consecutive weeks so that all interested officers may attend, said University Director of International Programs Jim Lynch, one of the guest speakers. The program is offered every year at this time.

The Department of University Safety sends its officers for new information between semesters, so they do not plan to attend, McElwain said.

Other topics on the agenda include the revised accident report form, ethnic intimidation, courtroom procedures, computers, defense tactics, and legal issues such as search and seizure, she said.

Lynch will discuss the new laws, regulations and the issue of sensitivity affecting the foreign student, he said.

University professor Edwin Donovan, an administration of justice instructor, will discuss the future of law enforcement and what he terms "30 forecasts" of what will be happening in the future of law enforcement.

Citing privately-owned prisons in Florida, Donovan said he views the trend toward business-oriented law enforcement agencies as important. In addition, increasingly sophisticated criminals will necessitate more specialized law enforcement techniques, he said.