Description

Domestic violence calls are routine. Domestic violence investigations are not. Most patrol officers arrive on scene, document the obvious, and move on. The cases that actually result in prosecution are built differently, from the first 911 call through evidence collection, victim interviewing, and documentation that holds up when the suspect lawyers up and the victim recants.

This 15-hour online course covers the full investigative arc of a domestic violence case. Not the policy overview you sat through at the academy. The actual work: understanding why victims behave the way they do, how to conduct victim and suspect interviews that produce usable statements, what evidence to look for beyond visible injuries, how to handle stalking as a component of DV cases, and how to document everything in a way that supports prosecution even when the victim will not cooperate at trial.

What the Course Covers

• History, types, and prevalence of domestic violence
• The psychology of domestic violence: why victims stay, why they recant, and what that means for your case
• Coercive control and the dynamics of abusive relationships
• The DV 911 call: what to capture and how it affects prosecution
• Initial scene response and evidence identification
• Injury documentation and advanced photography techniques
• Victim interviewing: trauma-informed approach, rapport building, and obtaining usable statements
• Suspect interviews
• Stalking investigations as a component of DV cases
• Lethality assessment and victim safety planning
• Documentation and report writing for DV cases
• Building prosecution-ready cases when victim cooperation is uncertain

Online and self-paced. 15 credit hours. Idaho POST-certified.