Description:

The Trauma-Informed Sexual Assault Investigations training will provide Law Enforcement with cutting-edge techniques that can be utilized in the field on a day-to-day basis. Our Trauma-Informed initiatives are unique in several respects, including their emphasis on a victim-centered and offender-focused response to sexual assault. The project was developed with subject matter experts from across Florida and the nation to create an intensive curriculum incorporating the most up-to-date sexual assault investigative and prosecutorial strategies. Using new research on the neurobiological effects of trauma, FCASV redefines the way law enforcement interviews and reporting can take place.

This training model leads to better evidence collection and corroboration which results in more successful criminal prosecution and conviction rates. A 2014 study of West Valley City Police Department in Salt Lake County, UT found that within one year of training all detectives in trauma-informed investigations, sexual assault prosecutions went from 5.5% to 24%. Jurisdictions applying the trauma-informed approach also report higher confidence and trust in law enforcement and the criminal justice system. 

Registration is open to anyone but is specific for patrol officers, detectives/investigators, leadership and command staff, and prosecutors. At the completion of the training, attendees will have an increased understanding of:

• Neurology of Trauma

• Trauma-Informed Response

• Victim/Survivor Interviewing: Effective Interviewing and Effective Listening

• Investigating Sexual Assault
  
  Trainer:
  Mike Schentrup

  Decorated and accomplished Law Enforcement Management Professional with an extensive background in Investigations, Training, Tactical and Patrol Operations, and Community Relations. Has 21 years of dedicated service to the citizens of Gainesville, Florida with extensive experience as a major case investigator. Served numerous years as a SWAT operator and an instructor of high liability skills. Demonstrates ideal leadership, organizational, and communication skills in both the professional law enforcement setting and during civic engagements. Maintains record of accomplishment at Critical Incident Scenes and is effective at forming alliances and solidarity between sworn law enforcement and civilian staff. Proficient at liaising with local law enforcement agencies, community groups, and the general public.

  Rebekah McKinzie

  Lt. Rebekah McKinzie specializes in trauma-informed investigations with an emphasis on sexual assault investigations. She has spent approximately half of her almost 19 year career in criminal investigations at the Gainesville, Florida Police Department (GPD). In 2015, while supervising the Child and Sex Crimes squad, Lt. McKinzie was integral to GPD becoming one of Florida’s first law enforcement agencies to train all investigators and patrol officers in the trauma-informed response to sexual assault. Adopting this approach has resulted in more successful outcomes for sexual assault investigations, and most importantly, for survivors. Lt. McKinzie was inspired to implement trauma-informed responses after attending a training on the topic by the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence. She recognized that the effects of trauma were largely misinterpreted by detectives, which interfered with their ability to properly interview victims and investigate sexual assault cases. Based on her success integrating trauma-informed practices at GPD, Lt. McKinzie was selected to become a law enforcement trainer for the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence. She travels throughout the state instructing law enforcement, corrections staff, military, prosecutors, medical professionals, and victim advocates how to apply trauma-informed approaches to cases of sexual assault. Additionally, Lt. McKinzie is a certified Florida Department of Law Enforcement instructor and serves as an adjunct instructor with Santa Fe College in Gainesville, FL, teaching police recruits at the Institute of Public Safety. She also teaches classes on child sexual exploitation, internet crimes against children, and sexual assault advanced training to sworn law enforcement. Lt. McKinzie is involved with her local county’s Sexual Assault Response Team. She recognizes that there is still much work to be done, and her current focus as the Gainesville Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division Commander is to foster a trauma informed culture within GPD to improve outcomes for survivors of violent crimes. In addition to sexual assault response, Lt. McKinzie has extensive experience investigating narcotics violations, complex fraud schemes, domestic violence, and crimes against children.

  This project was supported by Subgrant No. LN270 awarded by the state administering office for the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice's STOP Formula Grant Program. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this training are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the state or the U.S. Department of Justice.