Blue Matters is a company dedicated to policing excellence through inquiry. We believe that sound concepts shape sound practices, that sound practices shape consistent outcomes, and that a commitment to continual improvement starts by asking questions.
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Our Courses
Missing Persons & How to Build a No-Body Homicide Case
A framework for Investigators and Prosecutors.
This class begins by exploring the dynamics which influence an agency’s approach to missing persons cases and the practical implications these approaches have for later investigations.
A missing persons investigation can evolve into a homicide investigation and may result in a charging decision even when the victim’s body has not been recovered. This type of investigation and prosecution has unique challenges. Using the Alexis Murphy case as a backdrop, strategies for constructing a no-body homicide case are presented.
Practical Intervention
The duty to intervene and the attendant training have become the latest focus in a string of mandates impacting the Law Enforcement world. But what does a duty to intervene mean as a practical matter? And how should this duty be realized to protect officers and citizens alike most effectively?
Use of force events that are categorized as excessive are associated most strongly with an officer’s duty to intervene on behalf of a citizen, but these events often represent only the final stage of intervention opportunities. This course takes a closer look at the officer and agency duty to intervene along a spectrum of intervention opportunities. An understanding of these opportunities by supervisors and prosecutors is essential, as they have a moral obligation to engage in practices that position officers for success and to intervene well before the need to discipline or make a charging decision about an officer surfaces.
Next course: Dates TBA!
Analyzing Use of Force Events: Methodology, human factors, and BWCs
Law enforcement officials have the lawful authority to use force for the purposes of compelling legitimate government interests and for defense of self or others. Such force is evaluated against what a “reasonable officer” would do if confronted with the same facts and circumstances. As a practical matter, most force employed by officers is easily explained. Controversial uses of force are much rarer and are often not readily understood by the community. In truth, they can also be misunderstood by police agencies and prosecutors. These are the types of events which lend themselves to increased scrutiny and necessitate a defensible use of force investigation/analysis. The ultimate findings, and the way that they were determined, have implications for the agency and prosecutor’s office. As such, this course is designed to (1) give participants the tools necessary to craft comprehensive, well-reasoned, and defensible use of force investigations/reports; and (2) give those who review use of force investigations/reports the tools to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of the investigation/report.
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