By Lawrence W. Daly, MSc
Forensic Expert – Senior Author
The investigative complexity of child sexual assaultinvestigations are providing law enforcement with the many opportunities to take a major step in learning and expanding their knowledge as
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| ACT Police vehicle (Ford Falcon FG) and uniformed officers in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
competent and intelligent investigators as they move into a new year, 2013.
In 2012, technology provided a new way of learning, educating, and training in the law enforcement community. The new technology created an enormous amount of advancements within the law enforcement community for professional educational advancements. In 2013 there will be a continuous of new technological foundations which will be supported by computers and technological gadgets. The advanced developments of LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Tango, MySpace, Online Communication Software, and most importantly texting has allowed instant communication for many individuals, businesses, organizations, and law enforcement agencies.
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| Image via CrunchBase |
The most notable online social networking tools which are being utilized by individuals and organizations are software programs such as Adobe Connection, Skype, Go To Meeting, IT Management, and so many other online programs.
The education and training which has been available before were seminars, conferences, workshops, and meetings. This required law enforcement personnel their time, travel time, financial demands, and the cost of the education and training. The reduction of personnel time, travel time, and all financial considerations has made advance
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| Image via CrunchBase |
d education and training a reality for individuals and organizations which couldn’t afford sending their personnel.
The immediate negative aspect of the online learning is the lack of human contact. Most professionals enjoy the opportunity to expend time with other professionals in their field. Once the daily education and training has taken place there is always time for individuals to get together and discuss the type of cases they are dealing with and how they approached them. The exchange of ideas during a face to face contact has its benefits.
Using the online software doesn’t allow for this human contact and therefore law enforcement officials attend the training and generally that is it. Sometimes the individuals exchange information and discuss having further contact either by email or telephone. Most law enforcement professionals enjoy being associated with “think tanks.” These “think tanks” provide law enforcement with a multitude of opportunities to learn, create, innovate, and share. There are many benefits to “th
ink tanks” which need to be discussed here:
1. Each law enforcement officer benefits from being an associate of the think tanks. Generally the association requires a formal membership which allows its members to review materials e.g. articles, books, journals, and other resources they would not have access to if they were not a member. Moreover, the specific literature in the law enforcement child sexual assault investigative issues, child, witness, and perpetrator interviews would be accessible and the instant benefit would be apparent to the officer.
2. The think tanks generally have a diverse membership in there are many officers who have worked in many investigative fields in their department and bring with them this knowledge and experience.
3. The think tanks provide a platform for law enforcement officers to be creative, innovative, collaborative, problem solvers, and so forth.
4. The think tanks provide timely meetings and agendas. A national protocol and procedure are currently missing in the law enforcement community and there are several ideologies of how a child sexual assault case should be investigated. There are a multitude of protocols and procedures in how an interview of a child victim should be performed. Although there are agreement aspects of how the interview should be conducted. In 2013 there should be a movement to advance the national protocol and procedure for how to investigate and interview child sexual assault allegations.
5. The think tanks can be structured like a listserv where the members can contact other members for advice about how they would handle a specific investigation or discuss training and education advice or other related areas.
6. The think tanks provide a platform where positive discussions, combined ideas, motivated ideas, creative and innovative ideas, research ideas and suggestions, provide leadership within the law enforcement community and so forth. The need for law enforcement research in specific areas in child sexual assault investigation needs to be performed by law enforcement and not the academia professionals.
7. The think tanks are an intersection of a multitude of experience, education, training, thoughts about the past, and many other foundational ideas. Further, these intersectional ideologies will bring about futuristic policies and procedures which will assist other law enforcement agencies and their officers in how they can become more effective and efficient in the child sexual assault investigation industry.
In law enforcement the tendency over the years in the investigative area has been reactive and no proactive. The need for intense leadership and positive influence over a community of law enforcement officials is a must in the child sexual assault investigation industry. There needs to be a mentality throughout the law enforcement community that all of the aspects of the investigation, including child interviewing, witness interviewing, interrogation of perpetrators, processing of crime scenes, analyzation of evidence, medical examinations, medical evidence, and so forth continually
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| WASHINGTON (June 25, 2009) The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) is the Navy's primary law enforcement and counterintelligence force. The agency works in tandem with local, state, and federal law enforcement as well as foreign agencies to counter and investigate the most serious crimes ranging from terrorism and espionage to common felonies involving Department of the Navy personnel. (U.S. Navy photo illustration by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class R. Jason Brunson/Released) (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
needs to have an internal and external hierarchical policies, processes, procedures, and protocols.
Law enforcement officers need to become involved in the external issues of the child sexual assault investigation community. These external issues deal with the education and training which currently exists but must be develop during the 2013 year. There are too many other individuals in the academia industry who have great influence on what law enforcement will do during child interviews. Although they have assisted law enforcement in establishing the manner in which children are interviewed, they have not advocated for law enforcement officers to lead in the interviewing of children.
This author has written extensively on the issues surrounding law enforcements roles and responsibilities in the entire paradigm of the investigative and interview process. There should never be an attitude that it is appropriate to ‘outsource’ any responsibility of the investigation. This is the current process at the current time in the United States. There are some law enforcement agencies which advocate for their Special Assault detectives to interview any and all child victims. This should be the attitude of all law enforcement agencies.
As law enforcement evaluates and examines the education and training of the 2013 there needs to be a microscopic evaluation which will promote competence and intelligence in the child sexual assault investigation community. Many law enforcement officers are rarely made aware of the education and training structure which is necessary in order to be assigned to the Special Assault Unit (SAU).
The attitude that SAU detectives work 9-5 is a major misnomer as a part of each day needs to be set aside for training and education. The law enforcement agencies should not be responsible for their detectives to educate themselves in every aspect of their job. Being a public employee is different than the private business environment as there is a need for some of the work time to be voluntary. This may be confusing to the majority of people especially public employees, but most communities can’t afford paying their employees to self-educate.
Some law enforcement agencies pay incentive pay for those individuals who attain college degrees or already have degrees when they are hired. The higher the degree the more pay the employee will receive. In 2013 the law enforcement community needs to structure an educational and training development program for any and all officers who obtain educational degrees and a variety of training. The opportunities are there and the officers need to take advantage of these program.
Major private organizations will pay for undergraduate and graduate school. Generally, the two requirements are they receive a ‘B’ grade and they complete the course. Reimbursement is a positive step in developing the employee, especially if the employee remains after receiving the education. Too often because of the lack of recognition for obtaining educational achievements, a lack of cross-training, obtaining management experience, and so forth, the employee will obtain employment where their education and training is appreciated and the amount of salary is greater. Law enforcement agencies need to have a similar program as that which is an aspect of the private business world.
Law enforcement agencies must require a Professional Development Action Plan (PDAP) for all of their employees. This will provide management with an understanding if their specialized employees such as those assigned to SAU have failed to outline their education and training for the 2013 year. It the employee has failed to prepare a PDAP, then there needs to be a one on one meeting where together, the supervisor and the officer, outline the PDAP. If the management promotes a positive external educational and training program, then the motivation and excitement is raised to a level, which has not been an aspect of their employee’s performance.
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| California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
The educational and training technology which will make a difference in 2013 will allow SAU detectives to become involved in many educational and training programs, such as ‘think tanks’ to enhance the creative, intelligent, competent, and intelligence of current and futuristic policies in the law enforcement child sexual assault investigations. This is to include a positive and motivated attitude of returning all investigative aspects of the investigation of child sexual assault allegations back to law enforcement i.e. child victim interviews.
Lawrence W. Daly
206-650-0229
Kent, WA
