Offering Services For:

Investigative
Crime Scene Investigation
First Responders

Professional Training Programs

BlueLine Training Group provides professional and tailored training programs designed to meet the challenging needs of the law enforcement officers, departments and community.

Investigative Course Descriptions

 

Leadership on the Line
1 Day $200.00

This one-day dynamic leadership seminar will focus on the concept of “adaptive change” and those leadership principles needed by law enforcement leaders and executives to successfully lead their organizations. This course will provide participants with leadership concepts taught at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute, Georgetown University, Washington, DC and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. The seminar is designed to challenge leaders with alternative leadership methods to enhance both personal and professional growth. The concept of “followership” and helpful hints for law enforcement leaders will also be reviewed. Leadership styles, lessons learned, understanding the effects of body language with subordinates, and how to effectively manage direct reports are other areas of concentration. A short practical exercise entitled “The Jungle” will help illustrate key leadership points for the law enforcement leader. The seminar will be held at off-campus venues for maximum student participation, which includes a “networking lunch” and motivational speaker. Each participant will also be provided with a copy of the book “Leadership on the Line” by Marty Linsky. Metaphors extracted from Linsky’s book will be discussed during the seminar.


 
Serial Rape Investigative Strategies
1 Day $200.00

Though serial rapes are not prevalent in society, it is not an uncommon occurrence for a law enforcement agency to have at least one or two incidents of serial rape during the course of an officer’s career. This course will examine investigative theory and common myths associated with serial rape. Victimology and rapist typologies will be explored. Interrogation approaches for the serial rapist and the importance of theme development for interviews and interrogations is another area of exploration. Geographical profiling and linkage analysis will be examined along with the significance of items taken from the crime scene. Task force creation and management requirements along with the establishment and oversight of the “war room” will be explained. The need for collaboration and a multi-disciplinary approach will be further explained to students. The importance of the media, crime stoppers, and the neighborhood canvass will be discussed as well as DNA and CODIS challenges. The course will provide investigators with the necessary investigative steps to properly investigate these complex cases. Detailed case studies will be reviewed to illustrate how to effectively investigate incidents of serial rape and neutralize the serial rapist.


 
Advanced Homicide Investigation
4 Days $500.00

This course will focus on equivocal death investigation and how to successfully resolve the most complex homicide cases. Lead investigator roles and responsibilities including administrative requirements and prosecutorial considerations will be identified. Advanced investigative techniques will be applied to investigative theory along with an emphasis on proper case management. The concepts of “linkage”, “linkage blindness”, “time and distance”, and “crime scene staging” will be explored. Crime scene reconstruction techniques and interrogation strategies for the homicide suspect will be taught. “Japanese” and “Dutch” law enforcement perspectives will be compared to United States law enforcement investigative methods and procedures. The importance of theme development during the homicide interview is another area of concentration. Child deaths, cold case investigations, and autoerotic deaths will be reviewed as well as the importance of recognizing “post offense behavior.” The importance of the neighborhood canvass, especially as related to the proper sequence of interviews to be conducted will also be examined. The conduct of death and homicide cases in hostile environments will be discussed. Common mistakes in homicide investigations and the need for an “investigative conference” will be identified. Lead development and the concept of “documentation dissection” will be explained through practical exercises. Several case studies will be evaluated to illustrate how complex homicide cases can be resolved.


 
Burglary & Property Crimes Investigation (24 hours)
Cost: $350.00

This class will provide the investigator with advanced and proven methods of investigating residential and commercial property crimes. Investigative techniques will be presented focusing on property related crimes. Topic areas will include: arriving at the scene (the preliminary steps), interviewing the victim, witnesses, and the suspect, evidence collection, crime scene investigations, undercover and sting operations, informant issues, follow-up procedures, prevention, tracking of stolen property, and community involvement. Practical exercises will be conducted throughout the course and a class discussion on current cases that the students have been assigned to investigate.


 
Homicide Investigation (24 hours)
Cost: $350.00

You will learn a systematic process for handling the crime scene from the initial approach through scene documentation and evidence collection. The student will be introduced to wound interpretation, bloodstain pattern analysis and crime scene reconstruction. Different motivators for murder will be identified and compared to case examples. Also, follow-up investigative procedure and techniques will be identified.


 
Undercover Operations (8 or 16 hours)
Cost: $150.00/$250.00

This class will focus on undercover operations and the requirements needed to successfully operate as an Undercover Agent (UCA). Appropriate backstopping requirements as well as the establishment of a fictitious persona will be discussed. The concepts of shallow cover and deep cover UCA will be explored. A special emphasis will be placed on informant recruitment and the utilization of informants during undercover evolutions. The utilization of props and non-traditional investigative techniques will also be reviewed. The functions of how to initiate and manage an undercover operation (i.e. problem/objective, scenario, participating agencies, undercover operatives, funding, legal considerations, etc.) will be fully examined. Several case studies will be evaluated to identify lessons learned and best business practices. Practical exercises to demonstrate methods learned during the class will conclude this block of instruction.


 
Non-Traditional Investigative Techniques for Homicide Cases (8 hours)
Cost: $250.00

This class will focus on non-traditional investigative techniques that can be used for contemporary as well as cold case homicide investigations. Undercover techniques designed to legally acquire both physical and/or testimonial evidence will be discussed. Viable undercover scenarios for the covert acquisition of DNA and other physical evidence will be examined. Interrogation strategies and the concept of “sequencing interviews” will be explored as well as the concept of “seeding the room” and theme development during the interrogation of homicide suspects. Case studies will be examined to demonstrate how these non-traditional investigative techniques can be successfully incorporated into active homicide cases.


 
Fundamentals of the Investigative Process
(24 hours or 40 hours if basic CSI techniques are desired)
Cost: $350.00/$550.00

This course is designed to assist the new investigator or the patrol officer who has to manage a felony investigation. The qualities of a successful investigator will be identified and discussed. The preliminary and follow-up investigative steps that apply to the majority of investigations will be broken down and systematically examined. Crime scene management, forensic issues, interviewing, statement taking, eyewitness identification, investigators summary and felony file preparation will be the course focal points. An exercise will reinforce the classroom lecture and discussion as you evaluate a case and identify the necessary steps to correct the investigation. This course will prepare you for more specialized training.


 
Death and Homicide Investigation (40 hours)
Cost: $550.00

You will be shown the various types of natural, accidental, suicidal and homicidal deaths you may encounter along with proven investigative strategies for each type of case. You will learn a systematic process for handling the crime scene from the initial approach through scene documentation and evidence collection. Also, you’ll see how the latest technology and forensic sciences can assist you in your investigation. Different motivators for murder will be identified and compared to case examples. Also, follow-up investigative procedure and techniques will be identified.


 
Interview and Interrogation (40 hours)
Cost: Contact us for a quote.

Within an interview, as a communication event, the interviewer has a number of established goals:

  • Gather data or information from the interviewee
  • Determine specifically, if the interviewee is truthful and if not, identify the form of the deception.
  • Transition the interviewee from unwilling to willing.

Toward this end, the interviewer must have the ability to QUESTION. A question is an activating event. If the questioning strategy employed is not productive, then the interviewer must have the ability to use additional approaches until the strategy most appropriate to the interviewee is found.

Once the interviewee begins to talk, the interviewer must be able to DETECT DECEPTION. The form of the deception and the specific elements of deception have to be identified. The interviewer must have more than a “feeling” that the interviewee is not truthful. This knowledge will lead the interviewer to the last necessary skill.

If deception is detected, the interviewer must have the ability to GAIN COMPLIANCE. The interviewer must then be able to change the goal of the interviewee from deceptive to truthful, from unwilling to willing.

In summary, the process is this:

  • Can the interviewer cause the interviewee to respond?
  • Once the interviewee begins to respond, can the interviewer determine if he is telling the truth?
  • If the interviewee is deceptive or noncompliant, does the interviewer have the ability to gain compliance?

Training Objectives: As a result of the training the participant will:

  • Given circumstances involving an interviewee and the dynamics of a situation requiring a compliance-gaining interview, present a considered interviewing strategy;
  • Having observed a related interview, provide a critique to the interviewer, highlighting the positive and negative aspects of the interview and offer a strategy for the enhancement of persuasive abilities.

 
Investigative Discourse Analysis (40 hours)
Cost: Contact us for a quote.

The systematic analysis of written discourse – statements, transcripts, letters, etc., can indicate to the investigator (or appropriate screening personnel) the components requiring additional inquiry in subsequent interviews and provide additional investigative options within the investigation itself.

OBJECTIVES:

1. Perform an analysis of a transcript of written discourse or a transcript of an interview to assess the assertions provided and the responses to questions.

2. Utilizing the information gained from the analysis, identify the appropriate areas requiring further inquiry.

3. Develop an appropriate interview strategy to address the elements requiring further inquiry.

TRAINING METHODOLOGY: Within the course, all concepts presented will allow the participant to “do” in order to enhance the learning experience. Actual transcripts and statements will be analyzed and expanded. The hands-on methodology is designed to assist toward successful completion of each objective by each participant.


 
Introduction to Criminal Investigative Analysis (Profiling) (16 hours)
Cost: $250.00

The course is designed to provide the investigator and prosecutor with an overview of investigative analysis (profiling) as it applies to the investigation of violent crimes. The student will be able to identify the traits and characteristics of the violent offender, identify the personality disorders most often found in violent offenders, and list the availability of criminal investigative analysis (behavioral science) resources. This course employs lecture, conference, and practical exercises.


 
Suicide Investigation (16 hours)
Cost: $250.00

There are few who escape being touched by the tragedy of suicide in their lifetimes. Suicide is the eleventh leading cause of death in the United States, killing approximately 38,000 people each year compared to the 18,000 who are murdered. A suicide may be influenced by psychological, biological or social factors as well as a combination of any of the three. Proving a suicide can be a difficult task due to family denials, insurance concerns and lack of an adequate investigation. This course is designed to overcome these difficulties by presenting you with sound investigative procedures and recommendations to ensure that a thorough investigation is conducted.


 
Introduction to Financial Crimes Investigation (16 hours)
Cost: $250.00

This course is in development. It will be geared for the new investigator who will conduct such investigations as forgery and uttering, financial transaction card fraud, identify theft, obtaining property by false pretense and embezzlement.


 
Child Abuse and Fatality Investigations (16 hours)
Cost: $250

The investigator will learn the common presentations and scene findings in cases in sudden natural deaths including infectious diseases and inherited conditions. Sudden Unexplained Death in Infancy will be covered in depth, with emphasis on important interview questions, scene investigations, and autopsy findings. The investigator will learn to differentiate common accidental patterns of injury from injuries inflicted by caregivers. The investigator will be introduced to common patterns of accidental and inflicted injuries unique to the pediatric age group including head injuries, abdominal injuries, and skeletal injuries. Other topics to be covered in depth include neonaticide (the killing of a newborn infant) – in this segment, unique perpetrator characteristics and investigative procedures will be emphasized. Findings in cases of stranger-abduction homicide will be presented. Factitious illness, also known as Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy will be explained and illustrated.


 
Cold Case Homicide Investigation (24 hours)
Cost: $400.00

This course is designed to provide the investigator with an overview of the cold case methodology and protocol. A wide range of investigative steps, to include the use of non-traditional investigative techniques and the latest forensic techniques will be covered in-depth during the course of instruction. Upon completion of this course, the investigator will have a sound knowledge of how to prepare and conduct a cold homicide investigation.


 
Narcotics Investigations Techniques (28 hours)
Cost: $300.00

The Narcotics Investigation Techniques course is designed for officers and agents who have been recently assigned or will soon be assigned the duties of investigating violations of the Controlled Substances Act and related crimes. The course will cover topics including; case initiation, case management, managing confidential sources of information, undercover operations and risk management. The course will include short duration practical exercises, and scenario based operations planning and presentations.


 
Physical and Technical Surveillance (24 hours traditional)
Cost: $300.00

The Physical and Technical Surveillance course is designed for those officers and agents who are responsible for covert physical surveillance operations and the use of technical surveillance equipment. Students will be exposed too and trained on the latest audio and video transmitters, receivers, repeaters and recorders, GPS tracking devices and countermeasure detection instruments. The course will involve multiple scenario based practical exercises utilizing state of the art equipment. Participants are also encouraged to bring their own department equipment for use in practical exercises.


 
Sexual Assault Investigation (16 hours)
Cost: $250.00

By its very nature, most sexual assaults occur in private, that is without witnesses to the crime and occur when there is some kind of relationship between the offender and the victim. The defense is “nothing like that happened” or the victim consented rather than revisited. Additionally, victims may wait before reporting the crime to the police. These circumstances may make it very difficult to successfully prosecute the offender for his crimes.

Research and experience has shown that the completeness and accuracy of victims’ accounts are important factors in whether or not the case is solved. However, victims’ reports of crimes, particularly involving sexual assault and domestic violence, are sometimes known to be incomplete and partially incorrect, often viewed by others as “unreliable”. This course will explore the ways of determining when a victim or witness is mistaken or has memory gaps due to fear, anger, shame, guilt, psychological and physical trauma, and alcohol and drug intoxication.

Also covered in depth are various investigative techniques including pretext telephone calls, search warrant applications, victim interviews, compliant victims of sexual assault, late reported sexual assaults, case preparation to present for prosecution. Particular attention is given to investigation of “late reported” sexual assaults.


 
Criminal Sexuality (8 hours)
Cost: $150.00

This course includes a discussion of the myths and misconceptions the public has about the crime of rape and how those misconceptions affect the investigation from victim interview to jury presentation. Also included are the thinking errors of the sex offenders themselves and how they use those errors to rationalize and justify their behaviors. This course focuses on sexual offenders who primarily target adult women, their method of operation and the typologies of rape and rapist.


 
Sexual Victimization of Children (8 hours)
Cost: $150.00

This course is similar to Criminal Sexuality; however it focuses on those offenders who target children. It distinguishes the difference between the mental health/clinical descriptions and the forensic/law enforcement descriptions of sex offenders who sexually assault children. An evaluation of the different types of pornography, and how they relate to sexual assault, is also discussed in depth. Also included is a review of offenders who have been labeled as “internet predators” and how they use the internet to facilitate the sexual victimization of children.


 
Criminal Sexual Paraphilia’s (8 hours)
Cost: $150.00

This course consists of an in-depth examination of the relationship of sexual paraphilia’s (sexual perversions) and sexual assault. It includes a discussion of the differences between the clinical identifications as outlined in the Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) and the forensic identification of criminal sexual paraphilia’s, which are often seen, but not recognized, in sexual assault. This will include the most likely indicators of escalation toward violent sexual assault, including the most dangerous of sex offenders, the criminal sexual sadist.


 
Thinking Errors of Sexual Offenders (8 hours)
Cost: $150.00

Sexual offenders use ‘thinking errors’ to give themselves permission, justification and validation of the offending behaviors. By understanding these thinking errors, strategies and tactics can be developed to recognize their deception and overcome their defenses during interviews and interrogations.


 
Violent Crime Profiling – Behavioral Aspects of Crime Scene Reconstruction (8 hours)
Cost: $150.00

This is an introduction to the technique of criminal investigative analysis (profiling) as it is applies to death investigations. Included is a brief history of the technique and the so-called differences between inductive, deductive and the investigative psychology of criminal profiling. The course focuses on the various motives for murder and how by identifying the motive as displayed in the crime will reduce the size of the suspect pool.

Also included will be how the behavior exhibited by the offender at the scene can be used to determine what kind, if any, defense the offender may claim, such as self-defense, not guilty by reason of insanity, or guilty but mentally ill.

The students will review various crime scenes and autopsy photographs lab reports and background information of each victim and offer an analysis regarding the sequence of events, motive and any possible defenses.


 
Inside the Mind of the Violent Offender (8 hours)
Cost: $150.00

Why do “normal” people commit violent acts? Are they mentally ill, driven to it, just snap or are just plain evil?

This course is an examination of the motives, traits and characteristics of the violent offender and the personality disorders and mental illnesses most often found in those individuals who commit violent crimes. Affective vs. predatory violence, motive and intent are examined including an in-depth examination of the differences between the clinical Anti-Social Personality and the Criminal Psychopath. Recognizing and understanding these individuals can be very helpful to those who have to interview suspects, victims and witnesses to violent crime.


 
Domestic Violence – From Obsessive Love to Murder (8 hours)
Cost: $150.00

Domestic Violence, Marital or Spousal Rape, Abusive Spouses are terms often used to explain assault, rape, stalking and murder between spouses and other intimates. This course will identify and explain the behaviors of both the offender and the victim and how their interaction can lead from jealously, to obsession, to anger, to rage and murder. This course also includes what is often described as “workplace violence” which more often than not, is violence between intimates that occurs at the workplace rather than the home.


 
Stalking and Stalking Behaviors (8 hours)
Cost: $150.00

This course examines the various types of stalkers, their methods of operation and motivations. Investigative techniques, interview strategies, assessment of dangerousness and case management will be discussed, from arrest to involuntary mental health commitments.


 
Threat Assessment (8 hours)
Cost: $150.00

This course examines those individuals who communicate threats or other “unusual” communications to others, be they political or public figures, celebrities or “average citizens”. This includes the identification of the offender, motivation, evidence of mental illness and threat management. This course emphasis is identifying the difference between those who make a threat and those who pose a threat. This course includes specific case studies such as stalking/threatening political and media persons, mentally ill threateners and anti-government “true believers.”


 
The School Rampage Shooter (8 hours)
Cost: $150.00

What causes a “normal” teen to becoming a mass murderer? Can they be predicted and prevented? This course examines the various theories of the cause of school shooters, warning signs, assessment and interventions. This course can stand alone or be combined with the course on threat assessment. This course can also include case study presentations of two would be mass murderers. One who planned to use homemade destructive devices rather than firearms, another 14 years old and was subsequently tried as an adult.


 
Interviews and Interrogation; Detection & Overcoming Deception (8 hours)
Cost: $150.00

This course will explore the various ways of determining when a witness, victim or suspect is not telling the truth, more importantly, not telling the whole truth. The first part will cover the various techniques; statement analysis, kinesics (body language), behavioral analysis, and neuralinguestics, to not only determine if an individual is being deceptive, but how to overcome the deception and obtain admissions and confessions. The second part will explore the various personality disorders most often seen in individuals who, more often than not, are involved in criminal behaviors (anti-social, narcissistic, borderline, paranoid, obsessive-compulsive) with a special emphasis on the criminal psychopath. These individuals pose a special challenge during an interview as their “disorders” make it easier to lie and often mask their stress of telling a lie.


 
The Psychological Autopsy and Equivocal Death Analysis (8 hours)
Cost: $150.00

An equivocal death is a death where the manner of death (homicide, suicide, accident, natural) is of doubtful nature or has different meanings of equal possibility. The psychological autopsy is an effort to determine the victim’s psychological intent by reconstructing the deceased behavior, communications, history, habits and personality traits.

This course will examine how to make the determination of the manner of death based upon the medical, physical and psychological evidence. Is the death consistent with homicide, suicide or accident?


 
Leadership on the Line
1 Day $200.00

This one-day dynamic leadership seminar will focus on the concept of “adaptive change” and those leadership principles needed by law enforcement leaders and executives to successfully lead their organizations. This course will provide participants with leadership concepts taught at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute, Georgetown University, Washington, DC and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. The seminar is designed to challenge leaders with alternative leadership methods to enhance both personal and professional growth. The concept of “followership” and helpful hints for law enforcement leaders will also be reviewed. Leadership styles, lessons learned, understanding the effects of body language with subordinates, and how to effectively manage direct reports are other areas of concentration. A short practical exercise entitled “The Jungle” will help illustrate key leadership points for the law enforcement leader. The seminar will be held at off-campus venues for maximum student participation, which includes a “networking lunch” and motivational speaker. Each participant will also be provided with a copy of the book “Leadership on the Line” by Marty Linsky. Metaphors extracted from Linsky’s book will be discussed during the seminar.


 
Serial Rape Investigative Strategies
1 Day $200.00

Though serial rapes are not prevalent in society, it is not an uncommon occurrence for a law enforcement agency to have at least one or two incidents of serial rape during the course of an officer’s career. This course will examine investigative theory and common myths associated with serial rape. Victimology and rapist typologies will be explored. Interrogation approaches for the serial rapist and the importance of theme development for interviews and interrogations is another area of exploration. Geographical profiling and linkage analysis will be examined along with the significance of items taken from the crime scene. Task force creation and management requirements along with the establishment and oversight of the “war room” will be explained. The need for collaboration and a multi-disciplinary approach will be further explained to students. The importance of the media, crime stoppers, and the neighborhood canvass will be discussed as well as DNA and CODIS challenges. The course will provide investigators with the necessary investigative steps to properly investigate these complex cases. Detailed case studies will be reviewed to illustrate how to effectively investigate incidents of serial rape and neutralize the serial rapist.


 
Advanced Homicide Investigation
4 Days $500.00

This course will focus on equivocal death investigation and how to successfully resolve the most complex homicide cases. Lead investigator roles and responsibilities including administrative requirements and prosecutorial considerations will be identified. Advanced investigative techniques will be applied to investigative theory along with an emphasis on proper case management. The concepts of “linkage”, “linkage blindness”, “time and distance”, and “crime scene staging” will be explored. Crime scene reconstruction techniques and interrogation strategies for the homicide suspect will be taught. “Japanese” and “Dutch” law enforcement perspectives will be compared to United States law enforcement investigative methods and procedures. The importance of theme development during the homicide interview is another area of concentration. Child deaths, cold case investigations, and autoerotic deaths will be reviewed as well as the importance of recognizing “post offense behavior.” The importance of the neighborhood canvass, especially as related to the proper sequence of interviews to be conducted will also be examined. The conduct of death and homicide cases in hostile environments will be discussed. Common mistakes in homicide investigations and the need for an “investigative conference” will be identified. Lead development and the concept of “documentation dissection” will be explained through practical exercises. Several case studies will be evaluated to illustrate how complex homicide cases can be resolved.

 

Contact Us for More Information

BlueLine Training Group
308 Ryder Cup Lane, Clemmons, NC 27012
336-813-3299
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