Failures in Criminal Investigation

Topics Covered:

• Common Errors      During Criminal Investigations
• Techniques to Overcome      the Errors
• Working with      Prosecutors & Defense Attorneys
• Interview &      Interrogation Concerns
• Courtroom      Testimony Concerns
• Complacency Concerns

Course Overview:

Across the United States, criminal investigators spend countless hours attempting to solve a case. Regardless of the type of investigation, the primary goals are to successfully prosecute a suspect and obtain justice to the crime victims and their families.

Very rarely is an investigation conducted in a “perfect” manner. Investigators are human and make errors. Often, these errors are unintentional; however, the investigator does not realize the importance of aggressively correcting the error.

Skilled defense attorneys scrutinize the investigation looking for any type of inconsistency or error made by the investigator or other law enforcement officials that worked the case. It is critical that investigators are aware of common errors made during criminal investigations.

This course was designed by numerous instructors based on interviews and feedback with hundreds of criminal investigators from across the United States and Canada. In addition, the instructors’ identified numerous mistakes that he or she has made during their twenty (20) plus years in law enforcement.

Finally, the instructors’ compiled a list of common errors identified by seasoned prosecutors (federal and state), defense attorneys, and judges.