Internal Affairs: Policy, Practice & Legal Considerations

40 Hour Continuing Education Training Course
KLEC Certified
Tuition: $900

Course Description:

Law enforcement officers hold a position of visible authority within their communities and are held to a tremendously high standard of honesty, integrity, fairness, and professionalism.  Likewise, law enforcement leaders are directly responsible for maintaining the public trust and implementing policies, practices and a culture that are open to the public and address allegations of misconduct levied against its officers.  Utilizing videos, lecture, case studies and interactive scenarios, professional policies, standards, and practices will describe a framework for accepting complaints, conducting internal investigations of its officers and appropriately dealing with officers who have breached high ethical standards. The course will also address innovative and proactive steps that law enforcement leaders should consider as they foster a culture that respects the community it serves.  This course is designed to alert law enforcement leaders, and those responsible for conducting those investigations, to the legal implications that can result from improperly conducted investigations or a department’s failure to address alleged misconduct by its officers (supervisor and investigator liability). Instructors will reinforce police-involved shooting and in-custody death investigation and the impact of body-worn cameras on citizen complaints, along with many other current topics.

Course Topics and Areas of Study:

  • The Role of the Internal Affairs Investigator
  • Complaint Acceptance Methods
  • Allegation Classification
  • Internal Affairs Case Classification
  • Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights
  • Formal Statements
  • Police-Involved Shooting & In-Custody Death Investigations
  • Domestic Violence & Sexual Battery Investigations
  • Media Relations & the Internal Affairs Investigation
  • Case File Preparation
  • Computer Forensics
  • Cellular Telephone Analytics
  • Role of the Prosecutor in Internal Investigations
  • Proactive Investigations & Criminal Misconduct
  • Early Warning/Intervention Systems
  • Impact of Body-Worn Cameras on Citizen Complaints
  • Criminal vs. Administrative Investigations
  • Due Process Rights
  • Workplace Searches
  • Social Media Misconduct
  • Police Sexual Misconduct
  • Supervisory/Investigator Liability
  • Hostile Workplace & Discrimination Investigations
  • Role of the Internal Affairs Unit: Use of Force

    Course Materials and Equipment

    IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

    Course materials (i.e., Powerpoint presentations, handouts, articles, etc.) will be provided electronically for this course on a computerized access link provided to registered students prior to the class.   It is highly recommended that students download course materials to a laptop, tablet or other device  prior to the first day of class and bring the device with them to the course.  Otherwise, students should print SPI-provided course materials from the access link and bring printed materials with them to class.

    In order to download course materials from the access link, PowerPoint, Word, and Excel software (Office Suite) should be installed on laptop, tablet or other device.

    Who Should Attend:

    Managers, Supervisors, and Investigators charged with internal and criminal investigation.

    Instructors:

    Jamey Schwab

    Brandon Kutner

    Upcoming Training and Lodging:

    If this course is not currently scheduled, it can be brought to your region by a co-hosting agency or through a contract. Learn more.

    Registration

    Click here to register for courses. 

    What Our Graduates Are Saying:

    "(The instructor) provided good info on psychology of officers and relation to Internal Affairs investigations."

    "The course was very beneficial to me, a new member of the department's Internal Affairs...Many issues were raised that helped me gain a better perspective for the job."

    "Great course. It is always a good thing to have the opportunity to exchange ideas, info and practices with other police agencies."

    "Yes, the course was very worthwhile and enjoyable. The topics were in-line with my day to day activities as an IA investigator. Great information to take back to my department and improve the internal complaint process. I enjoyed the instructional methods."

    "The course was very helpful. The techniques and procedures identified will greatly improve my abilities as an IA investigator."

    "This is a good course and I learned a lot from it that I needed.  It took away my misconceptions about internal investigations."

    "Course is valuable and should be offered more often to supervisors and managers....  This provides insight on a process that is necessary to our agency and profession."

    "This course was well worth the time.  Experienced instructors provided resources including current policies and models of the trends across the nation.  Will help my department and myself moving forward in the future."

    "Solid comprehensive IA course."

    "Very worthwhile course.  Helped me understand why our agency currently conducts IAs the way we do."

    "The course was very informative and worthwhile for understanding and improving internal investigative skills."