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- Conducting Death & Homicide Investigations - Full window version

Training Goals and Objectives

The goal of the training program is to acquaint the novice investigator with all facets of death investigation, including the esoteric terminology that is unique to homicide cases.

Attendees will become familiar with the indicators of suspicious death and learn just how equivocal the death scene can be. They will also become confident in assessing the crime scene and determining what type of action should be taken through the prioritization of viable leads.

The course is designed to enable the investigator to immediately interpret what he or she sees, the moment they walk onto the crime scene, and to derive from that knowledge an analytical approach to the investigation. All areas of the investigative process crucial to the successful conclusion of the case will be examined and discussed thoroughly.

Actual real-life examples will help the investigator become acquainted with forensic concepts not familiar to the beginner, such as lividity, rigor mortis, algor mortis, decomposition, ante mortem and postmortem trauma, etc. There is a heavy emphasis on wound recognition, modes of death, and what to look for at the autopsy.

Training Audience, Format and Content

This course is intended for detectives newly-assigned to homicide duties, experienced death investigators seeking alternate perspectives, or detectives and uniform personnel desirous of entering the field of death investigations. Crime scene technicians, medical examiner/coroner investigators, supervisors, military investigators, criminal analysts, and prosecuting attorneys would also benefit from the training.

The course is designed in 3 day sessions. Instruction is provided through the use of a PowerPoint presentation that makes liberal use of authentic crime scene photographs. This insures that the topics discussed are portrayed as realistically as possible. Numerous handouts and video tapes are used as instructional aids.

Daily content and course schedule/agenda:

Day One:

Manner of Death (Natural, Accidental, Suicide & Homicide)
Equivocal Death
Infant Death (SIDS & Child Abuse)
Death by Poisoning
Asphyxiation / Suffocation / Drowning
Electrocutions / Lightning Strikes
Fire Death
Comprehensive Examination of Suicide
Autoerotic Death

Day Two:

Types of Homicide (Murder, Manslaughter, Excusable, Justifiable, etc.)
The Homicide Crime Scene (Mincey vs. Arizona, DNA, Blood Spatter, etc.)
Establishing the Time of Death (Algor Mortis, Livor Mortis & Rigor Mortis)
Identifying the Victim
Notifying the Next of Kin
The Autopsy
Modes of Death (Blunt Force Trauma, Stabbing, Gunshot Wounds, etc.)
Dealing With the Media

Day Three:

Decomposition (Autolysis / Putrefaction, Adipocere & Mummification)
Skeletal Remains
In-depth Examination of Gunshot Wounds (Contact, Intermediate & Distant)
Stabbing / Cutting / Chopping Wounds
Strangulation / Asphyxiation (Petechia & Hyoid damage)
Pattern Injuries
Defensive Wounds
The Area Canvass
Courtroom Presentation
Case Studies

Students should be forewarned that the content of this course contains numerous death scene photographs that are highly graphic and intense. Due to the sensitive nature of this material, attendance is restricted to sworn law enforcement personnel, or those directly involved in the criminal justice system.

This course is recognized by various POST / POSTC organizations including: South Carolina, Virginia, Colorado, Texas, Arizona, California, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Minnesota, Delaware, Tennessee, North Carolina, Kansas, Arkansas, Idaho, and Utah. IF YOUR STATE IS NOT LISTED CERTIFICATION IS EASILY ACQUIRED AND MAY ONLY REQUIRE SUBMISSION OF THE COURSE LESSON PLAN.

CONDUCTING HOMICIDE INVESTIGATIONS - NASHVILLE, TN

CONDUCTING HOMICIDE INVESTIGATIONS - TIGARD, OREGON

CONDUCTING HOMICIDE INVESTIGATIONS - BEND, OREGON

- Conducting Police Officer Involved Shooting Investigations -
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Training Goals and Objectives

There is arguably no single event that can traumatize a police agency more than a police officer involved shooting incident. The criticism and intense scrutiny generated

by the media, community activists, the general public, and the criminal justice system itself, can be enormous. Civil judgments resulting from such cases can debilitate a police organization for years, have an adverse effect on employee morale, and hamper agency effectiveness through the erosion of public opinion. It is, therefore, imperative that every police department prepare in earnest for this inevitable eventuality. It is also essential that the investigator charged with the task of leading a police officer involved shooting investigation become as equally prepared.

The purpose of this course is to provide attendees with a basic investigative model that is applicable to all officer involved shootings incidents, regardless of the size of their department. Police officer involved shootings are vastly different from any other type of

investigation. The stakes for the shooting officer and his department are so high that it is imperative that the investigation be conducted in a prescribed manner. This course will provide those in attendance with the knowledge, skills and confidence necessary to handle any deadly force incident.

Training Audience, Format and Content

This course is intended for those investigators who are specifically assigned to the criminal investigation of officer involved shootings and in-custody deaths. It is also appropriate for those detectives or uniform personnel who may be required to assist in these types of investigations. Crime scene technicians, medical examiner/coroner investigators, supervisors, milit

ary investigators, criminal analysts, and prosecuting attorneys would also benefit from the training.

The course is designed in 2 day sessions, but may be extended to 2½ or 3 days if requested. Instruction is provided through the use of a PowerPoint presentation that makes liberal use of authentic crime scene photographs. This insures that the topics discussed are portrayed as realistically as possible. Numerous handouts and video tapes are used as instructional aids.

Daily content and course schedule/agenda:

Day One:

Definitions of Deadly Force / Model Use of Force Policies
The Use of Force Matrix
In-depth Examination of Notable Cases (Amadou Diallo, Russell Weston, Ruby Ridge, etc.)
Landmark Court Decisions (Garner v. Tennessee, Graham v. Connor, Garrity v. New Jersey, etc.)
Lethal Force Statistics
Why Is the Investigation So Important?
Who Should Conduct the Investigation?
Fait Accompli
The Shooting Team Concept
The Three Phases of a Lethal Force Investigation
Proper Procedures at Police Shootings
How to Handle the Shooting Officer
The Role Of Internal Affairs
The Police Shooting Checklist
Interviewing Witnesses and Witness Officers

Day Two:

The Police Shooting Crime Scene (Mincey vs. Arizona )
Perceptual Distortions
How Subjects Are Shot in the Back
How to Prepare for the Grand Jury or the Inquest
Multijurisdictional Investigations
In-depth Examination of Gunshot Wounds (Contact, Intermediate & Distant)
The Autopsy (Pattern Injuries, Coup / Contra Coup, Surrender wounds, Defensive Wounds, Supported Wounds, etc.)
Suicide By Cop
In Custody Deaths (SICDS, Cocaine Psychosis, Excited Delirium, etc.)
Dealing With the Media
Post Shooting (Post Traumatic Stress disorder)
Non-Lethal Alternatives to Deadly Force
Case Studies

Students should be forewarned that the content of this course contains numerous death scene photographs that are highly graphic and intense. Due to the sensitive nature of this material, attendance is restricted to sworn law enforcement personnel, or those directly involved in the criminal justice system.

This course is recognized by various POST / POSTC organizations including: South Carolina, Virginia, Colorado, Texas, Arizona, California, Nevada, Montana, Minnesota, Delaware, Tennessee, North Carolina, Kansas, Arkansas, Idaho, and Utah.

TO SIGN UP FOR THIS COURSE CONTACT THE PUBLIC AGENCY TRAINING COUNCIL AT: www.patc.com