Location of Training:      

Dates:                                

Recommended Hotel:     TBA

Directions:                         Please use: www.mapquest.com

Every year, most agencies receive specialized training in the proficiency of firearms. Why?  Liability is obviously one reason, but the main reason is the fact that in any given situation, there is a possibility that an officer may have to resort to the use of deadly force.  What happens following this use of discretion depends a great deal on what circumstances led up to the officer discharging his/her weapon, the findings of investigators and the determinations of the courts, both criminal and civil.  Yet, how many agencies have had the opportunity to provide specialized training into the investigation of what we believe may possibly happen?  How proficient are we at investigating what we have trained our officers annually to do?

The purpose of this 2-day 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 or in custody death event.

Entry Level Standards: 

This course is intended for those investigators who are specifically assigned to the criminal investigation of officer involved shooting.  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, military investigators, criminal analysts, and prosecuting attorneys would also benefit from the training.

Course Content:

• 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
• 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
• Multi-jurisdictional 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.)
• The Dark Side of Officer Involved Shootings
• Dealing With the Media
• Post Shooting (Post Traumatic Stress disorder)
• Shooting at Moving Vehicles, the Mentally Ill and Officers who Commit Murder