Campus Police Rape Investigations Tier 2: Trauma-Informed Interviewing

Campus Police Criminal Investigations Track

Campus Police Rape Investigations Tier 2: Trauma-Informed Interviewing

Victim, Witness, and Suspect Interviews, Credibility, and Corroboration

Class Description

Investigative interviewing is one of the most consequential components of a rape investigation. Campus investigators encounter delayed reports, incomplete recollections, evolving accounts, reluctant witnesses, intoxication-related memory gaps, and individuals with existing personal or social relationships.

This course provides practical instruction in trauma-informed interviewing and the development of reliable testimonial evidence from victims, witnesses, and suspects. Participants examine how stress, trauma, intoxication, and the passage of time may affect attention, memory, disclosure, and participation while recognizing that no particular response establishes whether a criminal offense occurred.

Instruction addresses rapport, open-ended questions, narrative development, clarification, and follow-up, along with planning interviews and identifying independent corroboration. Special attention is given to material contradictions, incomplete information, changing accounts, confirmation bias, and lawful, noncoercive suspect interviewing.

Participants consider the importance of retaining original statements, recordings, and detailed interview records rather than substituting investigative conclusions for an interviewee’s words. Practical exercises focus on developing follow-up questions, testing competing explanations, and identifying additional investigative leads.

Topics Covered

• Trauma, stress, intoxication, memory, and delayed disclosure
• Planning and conducting trauma-informed investigative interviews
• Victim, witness, and suspect interviewing strategies
• Evolving accounts, material inconsistencies, and investigative follow-up
• Credibility, corroboration, neutrality, and confirmation bias
• Accurate documentation and preservation of original statements and recordings

Learning Objectives

Upon completion, participants will be able to:

1. Explain how trauma, stress, intoxication, and time can affect disclosure, memory, and participation.
2. Use trauma-informed interviewing techniques to gather reliable information without compromising impartiality.
3. Develop appropriate interview strategies for victims, witnesses, and suspects.
4. Evaluate conflicting accounts and pursue material discrepancies through independent corroboration.
5. Document interviews accurately and preserve records for investigation, supervisory review, and referral.

Who Should Attend

Sworn campus police officers, detectives, criminal investigators, investigative supervisors, and personnel conducting or reviewing rape interviews.

Recommended Experience Level: Foundational to Intermediate. Designed for officers and investigators who conduct or review criminal interviews. Familiarity with basic investigative interviewing is recommended. Experience levels are guidance rather than prerequisites.

Certification

Attendees of this class will receive a certificate of completion from D. Stafford & Associates. Certification verifies attendance at this class and can serve as an institution’s documentation that the attendee has received Campus Police Rape Investigation-Tier 2 training.

Faculty

This training program will feature an expert faculty member who has served as a sworn police investigator on college and university campuses and has more than 25 years of experience and expertise in managing rape investigations for institutions of Higher Education.

Logistics

This class is a 4-hour class (with time built in for breaks).

Virtual Classes: This live, virtual class will be held:

• from 12:00 pm – 4:30 pm Eastern Time.

Additional logistics are available when clicking the “Class Details & Registration” button for a specific class. (Note: clicking the “Class Details & Registration” button will not automatically register attendees for this class. There is an additional registration button that attendees must click to register at the bottom of the logistics page to complete the registration process).

This class is not currently offered in an in‑person format. To explore bringing this class to your campus, please contact dolores@dstaffordandassociates.com for a scope of work.

Save $200 with the optional four-course rape investigation bundle (Tiers 1–4). If a course is dropped from the bundle, the remaining courses are billed at the full $490 each.