Officer Involved Shooting

About

This course equips law enforcement investigators and agency administrators with targeted information and practical techniques. It aims to improve the thoroughness and competence of investigations into Officer-Involved Critical Incidents. Key techniques include advanced forensic analysis, effective interviewing strategies for officers, witnesses, and subjects, digital evidence collection, and comprehensive incident documentation. These tools ensure investigators address the complexities of such incidents with competence and clarity.

Officer-involved critical incidents encompass officer-involved shootings, in-custody deaths, and other use-of-force actions that result in death or critical injury. 

Proper analysis of these incidents requires criminal, civil, and administrative investigative components. For criminal investigations, the course focuses on gathering physical evidence and interviewing techniques. For civil cases, it examines liability issues and public perception. For administrative investigations, it addresses internal compliance and policy evaluations. The course examines and discusses each of these essential investigative areas.

Regardless of agency size or structure, critical encounters between officers and the community can result in significant negative consequences. Upon completion of this course, participants shall acquire practical skills to document and report these incidents effectively. The course features hands-on elements, simulations, and analyses of real-world scenarios to help participants practice and refine these skills, which may help mitigate criticism and distrust after officer-involved incidents.

Concept:

Although there are several methods utilized by law enforcement nationally, the investigation into Officer-Involved Shootings and Critical Incidents often occurs as a Homicide only model,  Homicide – Internal Affairs model, Critical Incident Team or Task Force model, and Independent Investigations model. Due to obvious accusations of bias that can be leveled against the agency favoring their officers, an independent analysis will best overcome these accusations of bias.
Some large cities nationally have groups or individuals specifically assigned to independently monitor or investigate critical officer-involved use-of-force incidents.

Objectives:

• Discuss proper immediate and post-incident response
• Discuss proper scene security and documentation
• Discuss proper evidence collection, management, and processing
• Discuss proper techniques for interviewing witnesses and involved officers
• Recognize the differences between investigative and administrative interview issues and the appropriate approach to each
• Recognize the role of scene analysis and reconstruction in developing investigative leads and directions
• Discuss the legal implications, both civil and criminal, of officer-involved shootings and critical incidents
• Discuss the dynamics and causes of in-custody death and critical injury incidents
• Learn organizational models and investigative protocols related to officer- involved shootings and critical incidents
• Discuss dynamics unique to officer-involved shootings, action-reaction time, and use of force models
• Discuss the issues related to bio-mechanics of individuals during officer- involved shootings
• Understand the dynamics and uses of independent monitoring of critical police incidents
• Discuss post-incident officer behavior
• Understand the role of media in officer-involved shootings and critical incidents
• Discuss agency training protocols related to officer-involved incidents

Course Brochure