Law Enforcement Training
Professional Development From the Field
Passkey Investigative Services offers specialized law enforcement training to police departments and sheriff’s offices throughout the New York City, Long Island, New York State, New Jersey, and Connecticut areas. Our courses are developed and delivered by a former federal forensic investigator with over thirty years of hands-on experience in the field — not classroom theory, but practical knowledge drawn from decades of real investigative work.
Training programs can be tailored to your department’s schedule and needs, ranging from a focused half-day session to a full week of intensive instruction. All courses are available on-site at your facility. Travel and accommodations are included — there are no hidden costs.
We encourage departments to reach out to discuss how a course or combination of courses can be structured to best serve your personnel.
Courses Offered
Interview & Interrogation
Intended Audience: Patrol officers, detectives, investigators, and supervisory personnel
Suggested Duration: Half day to two days
Drawing on decades of federal investigative experience, this course covers the principles and practical techniques of effective interviewing and interrogation. Topics include establishing rapport, recognizing deception, structuring an interview for maximum reliability, legal considerations, and the distinctions between interview and interrogation technique. Participants will come away with immediately applicable skills for the field.
Blood Spatter Analysis
Intended Audience: Detectives, crime scene personnel, and investigators handling violent crime cases
Suggested Duration: Two to eight hours
This course provides training in the recognition, documentation, and interpretation of bloodstain pattern evidence. Participants will learn to identify spatter types, directionality, point of origin, and what bloodstain patterns can and cannot tell investigators about the events at a scene. The course emphasizes practical application and sound methodology consistent with courtroom evidentiary standards.
The Role of Coroners, Medical Examiners & Autopsies
Intended Audience: Patrol officers, detectives, and investigators who work death cases
Suggested Duration: Half day to one day
An often underappreciated area of investigative knowledge, this course demystifies the medicolegal death investigation process. Topics include the respective roles and authority of coroners and medical examiners, how autopsies are conducted and what they can establish, manner versus cause of death, and how investigators can work more effectively with medical examiner offices. This course is particularly valuable for officers new to death investigations.
Crime Scene Processing
Intended Audience: Patrol officers, detectives, crime scene personnel, and supervisors
Suggested Duration: One to three days
A comprehensive course covering the proper documentation, protection, and processing of crime scenes. Topics include scene security and documentation, photography and sketching, evidence recognition and collection, chain of custody, and common errors that compromise investigations. The course can be scaled from a foundational overview for patrol personnel to a more advanced treatment for investigators and crime scene specialists.
Evidence Collection
Intended Audience: Patrol officers, detectives, and crime scene personnel
Suggested Duration: Half day to one day
This focused course addresses the proper collection, handling, packaging, and preservation of physical evidence. Topics include biological evidence, trace evidence, digital evidence considerations, chain of custody procedures, and avoiding contamination. Proper evidence handling is one of the most critical — and most commonly compromised — aspects of any investigation, and this course addresses it directly and practically.
Courtroom Testimony & Procedures
Intended Audience: Officers and investigators of all experience levels
Suggested Duration: Half day to one day
Effective courtroom testimony is a skill that requires preparation and practice, yet it receives remarkably little formal attention in most law enforcement training programs. This course covers the fundamentals of preparing for testimony, presenting yourself professionally on the stand, handling cross-examination, avoiding common pitfalls, and understanding courtroom procedure from an officer’s perspective. Equally valuable for newer officers and seasoned investigators looking to sharpen their courtroom presence.
National Interest Case Reviews
Intended Audience: Detectives, investigators, and supervisory personnel
Suggested Duration: Half day to one day
This course uses notable cases of national significance as teaching tools to examine investigative decisions — what worked, what didn’t, and why. Drawing on real examples, participants will explore lessons applicable to their own investigative practice, with discussion of scene processing, interviewing, evidence handling, and case management. An engaging and thought-provoking course that generates meaningful discussion among experienced personnel.
Scheduling & Customization
All courses can be tailored in scope, depth, and duration to meet your department’s specific needs and training objectives. Multi-course programs spanning several days can be arranged for departments seeking a more comprehensive training investment. Individual courses can also be combined or modified to address particular areas of interest or concern within your agency.
We are happy to discuss your department’s training priorities and recommend a program that makes the best use of your personnel’s time.
Continuing Education
Our courses may qualify for continuing education credits depending on your jurisdiction’s requirements and your department’s policies. We encourage departments to verify applicable credit eligibility with their training coordinators prior to scheduling.
Service Area
Training is available to law enforcement agencies throughout the New York City, Long Island, New York State, New Jersey, and Connecticut areas. Travel and hotel accommodations are included in all engagements — departments pay no additional costs for our instructor to come to you.
All training delivered by Passkey Investigative Services reflects the standards and practices of thirty years of former federal forensic investigative experience.