Investigations

• Coordinator: Jenn Firpo
• Length of course: 7 hours
• Course hours: 0800 – 1600 hours
• Location: Vermont Police Academy
• Date:  September 25, 2017
• Tuition: $20.00
• Registration: Fax the in-service registration form (Word or PDF) to 802-483-2343 or email it to our registrar at gail.williams@vermont.gov

To attend this class: You must have attended a prior workshop on investigating animal cruelty in Vermont.  One that has been sponsored by the Vermont Humane Federation’s Animal Cruelty Response Coalition or attended the Vermont Police Academy’s “Animal Cruelty Investigation – Level I” (this class is being offered this year on August 31, 2016).

This advanced workshop on animal cruelty investigations will focus on more specialized topics in animal cruelty investigation, including:

• Animal husbandry practices: walking the fine line between education and seizure;
• Working with the Agency of Agriculture on livestock complaints;
•  The investigation of equine cruelty complaints;
• Animal hoarding: handling large-scale animal cruelty investigations.
• Handling wildlife cruelty complaints

Participants must bring with them their Animal Cruelty Investigation Manual.   

Please Note: Persons who currently own the "Animal Cruelty Investigator’s Manual” (1st, 2nd or 3rd edition) and are interested in purchasing the newly released 4th edition of this manual... please indicate so when registering.  Manual cost is $35.00.

• Coordinator: Leslie Bodette
• Length of course: 16 hours
• Course hours: 0800 – 1630 
• Date: October 25 - 26, 2017
• Location: Vermont Police Academy
• Tuition: Commuting - $50.50 (includes materials and lunch), Overnight - $90.50 (Includes materials, lodging, and meals).
• Registration: Fax the in-service registration form (Word or PDF) to 802-483-2343 or email it to our registrar at gail.williams@vermont.gov

This fundamental training course will provide the new part-time officer with a familiarization of accident/crash reporting requirements and form completion. A mock scene will be utilized to demonstrate the measurement and diagramming techniques. Additional scene management will emphasize traffic control, preservation of evidence and witness identification.

• Coordinator: Leslie Bodette
• Length of course: 4 hours                                                                      
• Course hours: see below
• Dates/Times:                                                                                            
  • April 6th 2017: 0800-1130 hours
• VIN Verification is offered in the afternoon on the same dates and must be registered for separately.
• Location: Vermont Police Academy
• Tuition: None, if initial certification. Repeat/audit - $9.00

• Registration: Fax the in-service registration form (Word or PDF) to 802-483-2343 or email it to our registrar at gail.williams@vermont.gov

Fingerprints offer an infallible means of personal identification.  They are used for identification of a person, background checks for employment, documenting criminal records, creating investigative leads, and tying suspects to evidence or crime scenes.

This course is designed to train police officers to properly roll legible fingerprints.  It also provides police officers with the necessary certification to obtain fingerprints from minors as required by statute.  This certification is valid for three years.  See Fingerprint Re-certification for recert processes.

This course has been designed by Vermont Criminal Information Center Identification Section and includes:

An overview of basic fingerprinting classification, the procedure of taking prints, officer safety while printing, how to properly fill out required fingerprint cards, and the life of a fingerprint card.

All students will practice rolling fingerprints under the supervision of trainers.

Rolling a quality set of fingerprint impressions and the successful completion of a written exam are required for certification.

• Coordinator: Sara Couture
• Length of course: 4 hours
• Course hours: 1230-1630 hours
• Date:  June 14, 2016
• Cost:  $18.50 Commuting, $57.50 Overnight
• Registration: Fax the in-service registration form (Word or PDF) to 802-483-2343 or email it to our registrar at gail.williams@vermont.gov

Animal cruelty is a serious crime with close ties to human violence, and Vermont has the largest per capita rate of pet ownership in the country. It is more likely than not that law enforcement officers will handle criminal cases involving animal mistreatment. While all Vermont law enforcement officers have the authority to act as humane agents, police agencies may not always have the personpower or resources to respond as effectively or quickly as they would like to complaints of animal cruelty.

This presentation will:

• Explore the connection between animal cruelty and human violence;
• Familiarize law enforcement officers with Vermont’s criminal code related to crimes against animals;
• Provide an overview of animal cruelty investigation techniques, and
• Provide participants with local, state and national resources that are available to assist them with investigations.

This POST Basic course has been approved for 4 hours of in-service credit by the Vermont Criminal Justice Training Council. Standard in-service training application required.

INSTRUCTOR: Joanne Bourbeau, Northeastern Regional Director, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). Joanne has been with the HSUS, the nation’s largest animal protection organization, since 1995. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science from the University of New Hampshire, and a certificate in non-profit business management from Johns Hopkins University. She is a graduate of the National Cruelty Investigations School offered by the University of Missouri’s Law Enforcement Training Institute School of Law, and heads the Vermont Humane Federation’s state-wide Animal Cruelty Response Coalition (ACRC). As chair of the VACRC, Joanne regularly instructs and counsels local & state law enforcement agencies, municipal officials and shelter personnel on the investigation of animal cruelty cases in Vermont. She is a regular instructor of Animal Cruelty Investigations at the Vermont Police Academy, and currently serves on the FBI’s. Implementation Committee for Animal Control Officer/National Incidence Based Reporting System Reporting.

• Coordinator: Sara Couture
• Length of course: 4 hours                                                                      
• Course hours: see below
• Dates/Times:                                                                                            
  • May 5, 2016: 0800-1130 hours
  • June 1, 2016: 0800-1200 hours
  • September 7, 2016: 0800-1130 hours
• VIN Verification is offered in the afternoon on the same dates and must be registered for separately.
• Location: Vermont Police Academy
• Tuition: None, if initial certification. Repeat/audit - $9.00

• Registration: Fax the in-service registration form (Word or PDF) to 802-483-2343 or email it to our registrar at gail.williams@vermont.gov

Fingerprints offer an infallible means of personal identification.  They are used for identification of a person, background checks for employment, documenting criminal records, creating investigative leads, and tying suspects to evidence or crime scenes.

This course is designed to train police officers to properly roll legible fingerprints.  It also provides police officers with the necessary certification to obtain fingerprints from minors as required by statute.  This certification is valid for three years.  See Fingerprint Re-certification for recert processes.

This course has been designed by Vermont Criminal Information Center Identification Section and includes:

An overview of basic fingerprinting classification, the procedure of taking prints, officer safety while printing, how to properly fill out required fingerprint cards, and the life of a fingerprint card.

All students will practice rolling fingerprints under the supervision of trainers.

Rolling a quality set of fingerprint impressions and the successful completion of a written exam are required for certification.

• Coordinator: Cindy Taylor-Patch
• Length of course: 40 hours
• Course hours: 0800 - 1630 hours
• Dates: August 8 -12, 2016
• Location: Vermont Fire Academy
• Tuition: $69.00 for commuters (includes lunch), $245.0 for attendees staying overnight (includes lodging and all meals)
• Registration: Fax the in-service registration form (Word or PDF) to 802-483-2343 or email it to our registrar at gail.williams@vermont.gov

PLEASE NOTE: Due to the nature of the subject material the class contains graphic content.  This course is limited to sworn law enforcement officers ONLY who have been designated by their agency to conduct death investigations. Full-time certification and at least 3 years of experience are required.

“Few things in our democracy are as important as ensuring that citizens have confidence in their institutions in a crisis.  For many individuals the death of a loved one is just such a crisis.  Ensuring that the proper steps and procedures are taken at the scene of that death to reassure family members that the death was a natural one, a suicide, or a homicide is a key element in maintaining citizen confidence in local officials.”              
                                                                    - Jeanne M. Adkins
                                                                      Death Investigation: A Guide for the Scene Investigator
                                                                      U.S. Department of Justice.

This 40-hour course is designed to provide basic information for officers who are new to, or who want to learn more about, death investigation.

Topics in this course of instruction include:

• The manner, mechanism and cause of deaths
•  A review of various types of deaths
• Autopsy and role of, and interfacing, with the Medical Examiner’s Office
• Bloodstain Evidence
• Fire related deaths and hazmat concerns
• Missing person’s investigations
• Child and infant Deaths
• Major crime investigation and evidence
• Computer forensic analysis and death investigations
• Case reviews
• And much more.

Instructors for this course included members of the Office of the Vermont Chief Medical Examiner as well as Vermont State Detectives, members of the Vermont State Police Crime Scene Search Team and Vermont Fish and Wildlife Wardens.

• Coordinator: Sara Couture
• Length of course: 6.5 hours
• Course hours: 0830 – 1600 hours
• Location: Shelburne Farms (see below**)
• Date:  September 29, 2016
• Tuition: MUST BE PAID IN ADVANCE $30.00 (Includes lunch).  
  • Checks should be made out to: Vermont Humane Federation (VHF) and sent in advance to: Vermont Police Academy, 317 Academy Road, Pittsford, VT  05763.
• Registration: Contact Gail Williams at (802) 483-2731.

To attend this class: Space is limited… registrations preference will be given to humane agents and law enforcement officers. You must have attended a prior workshop on investigating animal cruelty in Vermont, sponsored by the Vermont Humane Federation’s Animal Cruelty Response Coalition.   Attendance of the Vermont Police Academy’s “Animal Cruelty Investigation – Level I” (being offered August 31, 2016) meets this requirement.

This introductory and hands-on workshop will focus on some of the most common farm animals you might see during the course of an animal cruelty investigation. Topics to be covered will include:

• The proper handling and housing of common farm animals;
• Best management practices;
• Body condition scoring (BCS), and
• Locomotion of farm animals

In the morning there will be classroom time to learn basic skills and techniques on how to handle and work around cows, chickens, sheep and swine. You will then be provided an opportunity to apply these newly learned skills with the animals on the farm. Full participation is expected.

Participants should be prepared to spend most of the day outside in any type of weather.  Work/muck boots are recommended.

**Training is being held at the Shelburne Farms’ “Coach Barn” (1611 Harbor Road, Shelburne, VT (802) 985-8686).  At the gate house of Shelburne Farms, tell the attendant that you are attending this training.  Parking is behind the Farm Barn.

• Coordinator: Sara Couture
• Length of course: 7 hours
• Course hours: 0830 – 1630 hours
• Date:  September 21, 2016
• Location: Forget-Me-Not Farm, Tinmouth, Vermont*
• Tuition: $18.50 (lunch provided)
• Registration: Fax the in-service registration form (Word or PDF) to 802-483-2343 or email it to our registrar at gail.williams@vermont.gov

To attend this class: You must have attended a Level I and Level II Animal Cruelty Investigation course presented by the Vermont Humane Federation’s Animal Cruelty Response Coalition.   Level I is being offered August 31, 2016 and Level II is being offered September 9, 2016

This hands-on workshop will build on the information presented during the Level I and Level II workshops, by having participants use the skills and techniques they learned in the classroom in a real-life setting. Forget-me-Not Farm will serve as the host for a mock “crime scene” involving large animals. Participants will have the opportunity to:

• Practice their interview techniques, report-writing and evidence gathering skills in a group setting;
• Become more comfortable with handling equines by approaching and leading live animals;
• Use body scoring techniques in order to assist in determining animal health.

Participants must bring with them their Animal Cruelty Investigation manual.  

Please Note: Persons who currently own the "Animal Cruelty Investigation Manual”, 1^st or 2^nd or 3^rd edition, and are interested in purchasing the newly released 4^th edition of this manual... please indicate so when registering.  Manual cost is $35.00.

*Directions to Forget-Me-Not Farm, 12 McNamara Road, Tinmouth, VT:

From the North:  Route 7 South to Wallingford VT. Take route 140 West (right turn) at the traffic light and follow 140 about 8 miles.  Turn left on McNamara Road.  Farm is first right [yellow house] up the hill.

From the South:  Route 7 North to Wallingford, VT.  Take route 140 West (left turn) at the traffic light.  Follow 140 about 8 miles. Turn left on McNamara Road. Farm is first right [yellow house] up the hill.

• Coordinator: Sara Couture
• Length of course: 7 hours
• Course hours: 0830 – 1630 hours
• Location: Vermont Police Academy
• Date:  September 9, 2016
• Tuition: $20.00
• Registration: Fax the in-service registration form (Word or PDF) to 802-483-2343 or email it to our registrar at gail.williams@vermont.gov

To attend this class: You must have attended a prior workshop on investigating animal cruelty in Vermont.  One that has been sponsored by the Vermont Humane Federation’s Animal Cruelty Response Coalition or attended the Vermont Police Academy’s “Animal Cruelty Investigation – Level I” (this class is being offered this year on August 31, 2016).

This advanced workshop on animal cruelty investigations will focus on more specialized topics in animal cruelty investigation, including:

• Animal husbandry practices: walking the fine line between education and seizure;
• Working with the Agency of Agriculture on livestock complaints;
•  The investigation of equine cruelty complaints;
• Animal hoarding: handling large-scale animal cruelty investigations.
• Handling wildlife cruelty complaints

Participants must bring with them their Animal Cruelty Investigation Manual.   

Please Note: Persons who currently own the "Animal Cruelty Investigator’s Manual” (1st, 2nd or 3rd edition) and are interested in purchasing the newly released 4th edition of this manual... please indicate so when registering.  Manual cost is $35.00.

• Coordinator: Sara Couture
• Length of course: 7 hours
• Course hours: 0830 – 1630 hours
• Location: Vermont Police Academy
• Date:  August 31, 2016
• Tuition: $53.00 (Includes materials and lunch)
• Registration: Fax the in-service registration form (Word or PDF) to 802-483-2343 or email it to our registrar at gail.williams@vermont.gov

This introductory workshop on investigating animal cruelty will cover all the basics of an investigation, including, but not limited to:

• A review of Vermont’s criminal animal cruelty statute;
• The needed elements for a strong animal cruelty criminal investigation
• Interview and interrogation techniques
• Report writing
• Using expert witnesses
• Evidence collection
• Search warrant procedure; and
• A review of resources available at the local, state and national level to assist in responding to incidents of animal cruelty.

This course will also review Vermont’s Cruelty Response System (CRS) and the CRS web-based case management system, Animal Tracks.  The Vermont Animal Cruelty Response Coalition and the CRS were formed to facilitate cross-agency collaboration and communication in order to more effectively respond to animal cruelty complaints, with an emphasis on accountability and follow up