Law Enforcement Training Program

It is the intention of the Tampa Bay Area Chiefs of Police Association to take part in the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence’s law enforcement training program as part of its commitment to the Consent Florida campaign. In time, all departments under the TBACPA will participate in the council’s Forensic Experiential Trauma Interview (FETI) training program.

Based on the work of Russell Strand — a retired U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division, or CID, special agent and the current chief of the Family Advocacy Law Enforcement Training Division at the U.S. Army Military Police School — the FETI protocols were devised as a tool to fight sexual violence.

The discipline is based on the fact that when people suffer a traumatic event, the prefrontal cortex of the brain tends to shut down, causing them to process information and memories differently than it did prior to the trauma. As a result, standard investigative questioning isn’t always revealing with regard to key facts investigators want, such as a description of the attacker, the surroundings during the attack and even what led to the attack.

The FETI techniques can help law enforcement conduct more productive interviews with victims, potentially leading to more arrests and convictions. Tampa Bay Area Chiefs of Police Association member departments Clearwater PD and University of South Florida at St. Petersburg PD have already been selected to participate in this training.

As the support for Consent Florida grows, it is the Association’s intent to eventually expand this training to all member departments.