CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION COMMAND TRAINING

The Army pioneered within DoD the use of Special Victims Units who are specially trained to deal with sexual assault cases. The Army offers a new 80-hour course for all sexual assault investigators. This training occurs at the U.S. Army Military Police School at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Course instruction includes an interview technique, developed at the United States Army Military Police School (USAMPS), called Forensic Experiential Interview of Trauma Victims, or FETI for short. This training has been recognized by the DoD as a best practice, and it has been expanded to train all Services' sexual assault investigators.

FETI training teaches law enforcement personnel to approach these cases with an understanding of how trauma affects how a victim experiences and recalls a traumatic event. FETI training teaches that the brain reverts to primitive functions associated with the brainstem. Brainstems are good at recalling experiential and sensory information but are typically unable to capture the type of information that law enforcement personnel seek when interviewing victims. The FETI technique draws on the best practices of child forensic interviews, critical incident stress management, and motivational interview techniques that combine them into a simple, three-pronged approach, unlocking the trauma experience in a way that can be better understood and help investigators piece together vital investigative information.

SHARP ALMS Course

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