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This course will focus on training police officers on how to be effective witnesses when providing testimony during sworn legal proceedings. The course will provide an overview of the various proceedings where an officer may be called to testify, the different types of witnesses, the role of the police officer and the consequences of the officer’s testimony. Many police officers have no training or experience in giving sworn testimony and therefore may not be effective when testifying. Failure to provide effective, truthful, and credible testimony can lead to adverse consequences for the community, the officer, and his or her department. Law Enforcement is currently under tremendous scrutiny. One specific area which is being closely examined is testimony provided by officers. Therefore, it is incumbent upon officers to know what to expect when they take the stand. It is also important that they understand the ramifications of their testimony.
Introduction: My qualifications, what the course is about, the goals of the course and course summary.
Types of Legal Proceedings: Criminal Matters with a Jury. Civil Matters with a Jury. Grand Juries. Depositions. Administrative Matters. Bench trials; Judge is the trier of the facts.
Types of Witnesses: Lay witness. Fact Witness (Police officers most often are called as fact witnesses). Expert witness.
Role of L/E when testifying: Tell the truth, be credible.
Consequences of Untruthful Testimony: Termination. Discipline. Being placed on a Brady list. Criminal charges (perjury). Jail. Criminals go free.
Preparation: Preparing to testify.
Appearance: How to present yourself.
Testifying: How to testify.
Course Summary
Questions