Schertz, TX   March 4, 2005

Every year, most agencies receive specialized training in the proficiency of firearms. Why?  Liability is obviously one reason, but the main reason is the fact that in any given situation, there is a possibility that an officer may have to resort to the use of deadly force.  What happens following this use of discretion depends a great deal on what circumstances led up to the officer discharging his/her weapon, the findings of investigators and the determinations of the courts, both criminal and civil.  Yet, how many agencies have had the opportunity to provide specialized training into the investigation of what we believe may possibly happen?  How proficient are we at investigating what we have trained our officers annually to do?

This 2-day course focuses on the investigation of officer-involved shootings, regardless of the size of the agency.  The course is designed for supervisors, field investigators, internal affairs officers and shooting investigation team members.  The course covers basic legal considerations in officer-involved shootings, proper documentation of physical evidence at the scene and the principles involved in the analysis and reconstruction of shooting incidents.  The class draws on the instructor’s extensive experience in the analysis and reconstruction of officer-involved shootings.  Numerous case studies are used to illustrate the lecture topics.  Attendees will analyze actual case files of officer-involved shootings and give oral presentations of their observations and findings as a demonstration of their comprehension of the course material.

• Review of the Fundamentals of Shooting Reconstruction
• Review of Shooting Reconstruction Basics
• Angle of Impact
• Documentation of Bullet Holes
• Trajectory Determination Using Trajectory Rods
• Bullet Ricochet Phenomena
• Indicators of Directionality of Shots
• Determination of Rifling Twist Direction from Ricochet Marks
• Ballistics for Shooting Reconstruction
• Protocol for the Forensic Documentation of Police-Involved Shootings
• Suicide by Cop
• Reconciling Bullet Holes in Clothing with Autopsy Finds
• Case Studies
• Case File Exercises