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  • Celebrating 20 Years of Training Excellence 2004-2024

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  • Interview and Interrogation Training

Overview

Our 3 day police Interview & Interrogation training class offers comprehensive practical, psychological, and emotional insight into the dynamics of interpersonal communication.

Students will learn police interview and interrogation techniques and behavior analysis skills to increase accuracy in evaluating verbal and non-verbal responses from people. We explore the art of active listening and how to build rapport with people based on trust. The student will then undergo an extensive step by step walk through of the entire Interview and Interrogation process. Interspersed with the instruction are actual suspect interviews dissected and explained by the instructors, practical exercises on up to date interrogation case law, and proven lawful and ethical methods of eliciting truthful information from subjects. Our flagship I&I class is taught by current law enforcement officers practicing and teaching their proven police interrogation methods from decades of experience.

Course Outline

Day One

Opening Exercise and Introductions

  • Small Group exercise to demonstrate listening skills
  • Stress/Emotional Indictor Pre-Test
  • Students should apply current skills skills prior to class instruction

Definitions of communication terms

  • Interpersonal Communication
  • The Human Mask

Communication Theories

  • Communication Cues
  • Why Investigators Fail to get the truth
  • Rapport
  • Rapport Killers
  • Empathy
  • Filtering v. Understanding

Child Molest Suspect Interview – Analysis

  • Harmonize Role and Voice
  • Stress Indicators
  • Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication Components
  • Behavior Analysis
  • Body Language
  • Proxemics
  • Verbal Behavior/Responses

Homicide Interview – Analysis

Final Test

Day Two

Assign Small Group Exercises and True-False Interrogation Law Quiz

Definitions of Key Terms

  • Interview
  • Interrogation
  • Admission
  • Confession
  • Elicitation
  • Key
  • Theme

Miranda Practical Discussion—Group Exercises

Pre-Suspect Interview Steps

  • Case Review
  • Work-Up
  • Pre-Suspect Interviews
  • Evidence Gathering
  • Determine Investigative Strategy
  • Free-Format Interview
  • Cognitive Interview

Pre-Text Telephone Calls

Suspect Interview Preparation

  • Location
  • Room Set-Up
  • Recording

Burglary Suspect Interview – Analysis

The Interview

  • Introduction
  • Photograph
  • Personal History Questionnaire
  • Beheler Admonition
  • Miranda Warning
  • Elimination Questions
  • Interview
  • Bait Questions
  • Break v. No Break

Child Molest Suspect Interview – Analysis

Miranda Practical Discussion—Group Exercise

The Interrogation

  • Confrontation
  • Confrontation Responses
  • Theme Development/Deployment
  • Short Term v. Long Term psychology
  • Do’s and Don’ts

Miranda Practical Discussion—Group

Day Three

True/False Interrogation Law Quiz and Discussion

Interrogation,Continued

  • Denials
  • Invocation
  • Admissions
  • Confession
  • Letter of Apology

Exemplars

  • Consent to Search
  • Final Questions
  • Arrest/Warrant

Report Writing Issues

Do’s/Don’ts

Miranda Practical Discussion—Group Exercise

False Confessions

Juveniles/625.7 W&I

Interviews with Attorney Present

In-Custody/On-Call Situations

Miranda Practical Discussion—Group Exercises

Appendix B Review

How to Reach Us

Upcoming Training/Reminders

Final Evaluations/Passing out of Certificates

  • I highly recommend this training for any Probation staff who have the necessity to interview/interrogate individuals for investigation purposes.

    —R. Bret Fidler, Santa Clara County Probation Department
  • Your training gave me the confidence and tools to interview the suspect for over 5 hours and to bring a closure to the case.

    —Daniel Phelan, San Jose Police Department
  • This was, by far, one of the most useful training classes I've attended since becoming an investigator.

    —Steven Aiello, Antioch Police Department
  • Incredible training with amazing real world instruction. I have been taking law enforcement classes for over 30 years and by far this is the best presented and most useful.

    —Det. Brian Dale, Portland Police Bureau
  • Instructional style is engaging and highly effective.

    —George Laing, Fire Prevention Captain, Investigator
  • Effective teaching teams! The presentation of the material was consistently interesting, and intelligent without being too intellectualized.

    —Michele Keller, Deputy Probation Officer, County of Alameda
  • Your training has made the greatest and most direct impact on my assignment of any training class that I've taken.

    —Ken Gelskey, National City Police Department
  • The information presented was highly relevant to my job and was presented in a manner that was organized and very easy to digest.

    —Michael McGarvey, California State Prison, San Quentin
  • This training by far has been the most informative and most effective I've attended. The instructors engaged the students in a manner that made me want to speak my opinion, ask questions, and participate.

    —Julio Ibarra, Merced County Sheriff’s Office
  • It not often that you go to a training that you really, really want to pay attention to. Because of the high quality information and style of presentation, I knew that if I looked away I was going to miss out.

    —Quinten Graves, Oregon State Police
  • This was, by far and away the best training I have received in 15 plus years of Law Enforcement. The instructors are experienced, engaging, articulate, and very entertaining. I will be recommending this training to multiple agencies.

    —Mark Paynter, Oregon DOC
  • I will continue to use and pass on this information because I really believe in the instructors and their approach.

    —Kimberly Meyer, Washoe County Sheriff's Department
  • This training provided the useful tools necessary for assessing the veracity of a suspected child abuser, which goes a long way in helping to protect children.

    —Sunny Burgan, MSSW, LCSW, Social Work Supervisor, Santa Clara County DFCS

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