The Academy | 5-Day Investigative Interview Training

What Makes This Different

Most multi-day programs are collections of modules. The Academy is a system.

Every component is sequenced deliberately. Foundational principles before advanced technique. Controlled-environment skills before field application. Standard subject categories before specialized and vulnerable populations. The curriculum builds on itself across five days.

By day five, the methodology is not something the investigator has studied. It is something they have practiced under realistic conditions across the full range of interview types they will encounter on the job.

Train. Develop. Master.

Bring The Academy to your agency

Joe leading an Academy session, instructing investigators across a classroom

The Five Pillars

The standards that define an Academy graduate

Five principles, applied every hour of every day across the program. They are what The Academy stamps onto every investigator who completes it.

Pillar One

Academy-Level Training

Structured programs built on decades of experience and proven methodology. Not a workshop. A formal training arc with sequence, depth, and accountability.

Pillar Two

Real-World Application

Individual and group scenario exercises run every day across controlled-environment skills, field-simulated conditions, and every major subject category. Practice under conditions that resemble the cases on their desks, with direct instructor feedback after every iteration.

Pillar Three

Leadership Development

The investigator who runs the room rather than reacting to it. By day five, Academy graduates are positioned to model interview discipline for less experienced colleagues and to operate as the lead interviewer on the cases that carry the highest stakes.

Pillar Four

Evidence-Based Communication

Master the science of human behavior and strategic communication. The methodology is grounded in research (FBI HIG, Granhag-Hartwig SUE, Fisher-Geiselman Cognitive Interview), not in the deception mythology that anchors Reid-style accusatorial interrogation and fails under cross-examination.

Pillar Five

Competency. Ethics. Impact.

Interviews that hold up in court, protect the agency, and serve the community. Competency, ethics, and impact are not three pillars stacked together. They are three measures of the same thing: an investigator whose work withstands scrutiny in every direction.

What You Walk Away With

The full system internalized, not just studied

Academy graduates leave with a working, applied command of the complete ASC investigative interviewing system. Not theory. Not a binder. Operational skill.

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A fully internalized investigative interviewing system across victim, witness, and suspect interviews

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Demonstrated Teach to Talk® competency through repeated scenario application

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DISC-based personality assessment and real-time behavioral adaptation

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Working fluency in nonverbal communication and behavioral baseline interpretation

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Deep applied knowledge of the Enhanced Cognitive Interview methodology

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Proficiency in Strategic Use of Evidence, challenge-and-clarify, and resistance management

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Field-tested ability to interview outside controlled environments

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Specialized practice in trauma-informed, child-witness, and crisis conversations

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Legally defensible written statements that convert interviews into evidentiary record

The Full Compass, Internalized

Eight strategic directions. Practiced under realistic conditions across five days.

From Information to Evidence teaches the complete framework. The Academy makes it operational. Across five days of sequenced instruction and individual and group scenario exercises, every direction of the Adaptive Strategies Compass™ is practiced under realistic conditions until investigators have internalized the system, not just studied it.

1Direction One

Teach to Talk®

The foundational philosophy. Strategic, human-centered dialogue rehearsed across every subject category until it becomes the investigator's default posture in the room.

2Direction Two

ACCESS Model

The six-stage investigative thinking framework (Assess, Collect, Collate, Evaluate, Survey, Summarize) applied across multiple full-case scenario arcs.

3Direction Three

Personality Assessment (DISC)

Real-time behavioral style reading practiced in live exercises across cooperative, guarded, and combative subjects.

4Direction Four

Cognitive Interview

Full Enhanced Cognitive Interview methodology, drilled through repeated victim and witness scenarios in both controlled and field-simulated conditions.

5Direction Five

Route Map

Pre-interview planning and live conversation navigation rehearsed across full-case arcs that branch based on subject behavior.

6Direction Six

Motive Mapping

Five-lens behavioral analysis (Rationalize, Project, Minimize, Socialize, Emphasize the Truth) practiced across suspect, witness, and victim scenarios.

7Direction Seven

Strategic Use of Evidence (SUE)

Timing, sequencing, and disclosure technique drilled across multiple suspect interview scenarios with instructor feedback after every iteration.

8Direction Eight

Alignment Method

Challenge-and-clarify questioning rehearsed across scenarios designed to surface contradiction without crossing into accusation.

By day five, every direction of the Compass has been practiced under realistic conditions across the full range of subject types and case categories an investigator will encounter on the job.

Explore the Adaptive Strategies Compass™ → Request a curriculum customization conversation

Who Should Attend

Built for the investigators ready to internalize the full system

Detective

Major Crimes / Special Victims Investigator

Major Crimes / SVU

Supervisor

Unit Commander

Task Force Investigator

Field Investigator

Patrol Investigator

Federal Agent

Crisis Negotiator

Parole / Probation

Corrections Investigator

Polygraph Examiner

School Resource Officer

Five-Day Curriculum

A complete system, built to sequence

The curriculum is customizable. Agencies work with ASC prior to delivery to identify case-type priorities, specific subject categories, or jurisdictional considerations.

Day 1 · Foundational Framework

Legal requirements, principles of investigative interviewing, the investigative mindset, rapport building, Teach to Talk® methodology, Focus Note-Taking Method, interview environment, rules for the second interviewer.

Day 2 · Behavioral Science & Assessment

Personality and rapid personality assessment, baseline behavior interpretation, nonverbal stress indicators, speech patterns and verbal cues, psychology of resistance, and the accusatorial interrogation conditions (Reid-style confrontation, false-evidence ploys, minimization, maximization) that the empirical literature has identified as risk factors for false confessions, particularly with vulnerable suspects.

Day 3 · Advanced Interview Methodology

Interviewing victims, witnesses, and suspects. Enhanced Cognitive Interview (full methodology). Strategic Use of Evidence (SUE). Challenge and clarify. Disruptive behavior. Preventing coercion and misinformation.

Day 4 · Field Application

Field interview fundamentals, navigating uncontrolled environments, witness field interviews, field application of the cognitive interview, all adapted for the pace and constraints of on-scene work.

Day 5 · Specialized Populations & Statements

Crisis communication, interviewing children and survivors, trauma-informed practice. Securing legally defensible written statements, converting interview content into evidentiary record.

Throughout · Scenario-Based Practice

Individual and group exercises run every day across controlled-environment skills, field-simulated scenarios, and every major subject category. By day five, participants have practiced the full methodology, not just studied it.

How It Compares

The same curriculum. Built out, drilled in, made operational.

From Information to Evidence delivers the complete ASC investigative interviewing curriculum in a focused two or three day intensive. The Academy delivers the same curriculum across five immersive days, with substantial expansion of individual and group scenario exercises, deeper coverage of specialized populations, extended Strategic Use of Evidence drilling, and field application work that the shorter formats cannot accommodate.

Agencies typically choose The Academy when investigators need the full system internalized rather than introduced, when a unit needs to be trained to a consistent operational standard, or when scenario-based practice with direct instructor feedback is essential to the agency's case environment.

See From Information to Evidence →

24+

Years Law Enforcement

8 Yrs

Senior Investigator (Supervisory)

12,000+

Interviews Conducted

6,500+

Officers Trained

The Instructor

Built from a career of operating at the standard The Academy is built to transfer

Joseph R. Auriemma, Jr. served 24 years with the New York State Police. He retired as a Senior Investigator after eight years in that supervisory role, leading 5 investigators and 29 uniformed troopers across a unit that handled homicides, major narcotics cases, multi-jurisdictional investigations, and the full spectrum of serious criminal matters. His personal caseload over the course of his career included more than 12,000 investigative interviews and approximately 500 recorded custodial interrogations, conducted across every subject type from cooperative witnesses to seasoned criminal subjects.

Joe served as lead instructor at the New York State Police Academy for Investigative Interviewing, Crisis Negotiation, and both the Basic and Advanced Search Warrant courses, the four curriculum tracks that map directly to the disciplines now taught commercially through ASC. He also contributed at the New York State Preparedness Training Center across the same areas. Six and a half of his 24 years were spent in the Major Crimes Unit, the assignment that anchors the Academy curriculum, where interview discipline is tested under the highest stakes: capital cases, multi-victim investigations, multi-jurisdictional coordination, and the kinds of subjects whose statements determine whether a case is prosecuted, dismissed, or suppressed.

Investigators who complete The Academy are not trained to a generic professional standard. They are trained to the standard of a Senior Investigator who supervised a Major Crimes unit, taught at the New York State Police Academy across four curriculum tracks, and who carries the consequences of every interview decision personally.

Certifications: IADLEST National Certified Instructor (INCI) · Certified Forensic Interviewer (CFI) · Certified Polygraph Examiner

Closing Note

Five days. Not a course. A standard.

The Academy is not a longer version of a training program. It is the standard ASC was built to deliver, sequenced, drilled, and internalized over five days of immersive practice. Investigators who complete The Academy leave with the full system operational and the discipline to apply it to every interview that follows.

Contact ASC to bring The Academy to your agency and train your investigators to the standard the work demands.

Free field resources available at the Resource Library, including downloadable interview frameworks and field guides.

Where The Academy fits in the ASC curriculum

The apex of the ASC course catalog. The system, fully internalized.

The Academy is the most advanced program in the ASC catalog. For agencies new to the methodology, From Information to Evidence delivers the same curriculum in a focused two-or-three day format and is a natural entry point. For specialized depth in trauma-informed practice with victims, children, and survivors, see Trauma-Informed Interviewing. For behavioral observation as a discipline in itself, see Beyond Words. For search warrant authorship as the paired investigative skill that makes interview content into evidentiary record, see Precision Search Warrants. The Academy is where the complete system is internalized.

From Information to Evidence Trauma-Informed Interviewing Beyond Words Precision Search Warrants

FAQ

Common questions about The Academy

How long is The Academy training program?

The Academy is a five-day on-site program. The curriculum is sequenced deliberately: foundational principles, behavioral science, advanced methodology, field application, and specialized populations, culminating in scenario-based practice across every major subject category. By day five, attendees have practiced the full methodology, not just studied it.

Who should attend The Academy?

Detectives and criminal investigators across all crime categories, special victims and CAC investigators who need trauma-informed and child-interview protocols, field and patrol investigators working uncontrolled environments, task force investigators on long-duration cases, and supervisors and unit commanders who want to recognize the difference between an interview conducted well and one that just produced a statement.

How is The Academy different from From Information to Evidence?

From Information to Evidence is the 2 to 3 day intensive that introduces the core methodology. The Academy is the five-day advanced program: same foundation, but with deeper coverage of specialized populations, field application, and Strategic Use of Evidence, plus daily scenario-based practice. Investigators leave The Academy having internalized the system rather than studied it.

What are the five pillars of The Academy?

Academy-Level Training (structured programs built on decades of experience and proven methodology); Real-World Application (scenario-based training that prepares you for the moments that matter); Leadership Development (build confidence, credibility, and influence as a communication leader); Evidence-Based Communication (master the science of human behavior and strategic communication); and Competency. Ethics. Impact. (upholding the highest standards in communication excellence).

Can the curriculum be customized for our agency's case priorities?

Yes. The Academy curriculum is customizable. Agencies work with ASC prior to delivery to identify case-type priorities, specific subject categories, or jurisdictional considerations. The five-day structure remains, but module emphasis is tailored to the cases your investigators handle most frequently.

What methodologies does The Academy teach?

The complete Teach to Talk® system: rapport-based dialogue rather than rigid scripts, the Enhanced Cognitive Interview (the most research-validated technique for improving recall accuracy), Strategic Use of Evidence (SUE), DISC-based personality assessment, baseline behavior interpretation, nonverbal stress indicators, and challenge-and-clarify technique, taught through five days of sequenced instruction and scenario practice.

Does The Academy include scenario-based practice?

Yes, extensively. Individual and group exercises run throughout all five days, covering controlled-environment skills, field-simulated scenarios, and every major subject category (victim, witness, suspect). By the final day, participants have practiced the full methodology under realistic conditions with direct instructor feedback throughout.

Does The Academy cover trauma-informed and child interviewing?

Yes. A dedicated module addresses interviewing children and survivors with trauma-informed practice, alongside crisis communication and securing legally defensible written statements. Special Victims and CAC investigators frequently attend specifically for these components, though the module is foundational for any investigator handling sensitive cases.

What does The Academy cost?

Published rates for every ASC course, including The Academy, are listed on the pricing page. The Academy starts at $1,295 per attendee and is a five-day on-site program. For engagements in the lower 48 states, instructor travel and lodging are included in the per-attendee tuition; nothing is billed separately. Alaska, Hawaii, US territories, and international engagements are quoted with travel scoped to the destination. Final investment depends on agency size and scope of curriculum customization. Joe responds personally and structures pricing based on the agency's case-type priorities and operational scale.

Do Academy graduates need refresher training?

The Academy is designed to internalize the methodology so that it becomes the investigator's default operating system, not a skill that decays. That said, ASC offers refresher options for agencies that want to lock in the discipline across personnel changes or after extended periods between high-stakes cases. Refresher formats range from one-day intensives focused on a single direction of the Compass (typically Strategic Use of Evidence or Cognitive Interview) to two-day field-application clinics for officers who have rotated assignments. Contact ASC to discuss refresher scheduling.

How do I bring The Academy to my agency?

The Academy is delivered on-site at your agency in a five-day format. Contact ASC through the Request Training form or by calling (914) 489-2330 to discuss scheduling, customization, and case-type focus. Joe responds personally and tailors the curriculum to your agency's priorities before delivery.

What Attendees Say

“

Today marked my first day back on the job following your training, and I had the opportunity to implement your method during an interview with a victim. Armed with the techniques I learned from you, I was able to facilitate a detailed narrative. The success of this interview left both myself and my partner in disbelief at how smoothly everything unfolded.

Det. Jeffrey PaytonVillage of Monroe Police Department

Planning Details

What to expect, start to finish

Format

Five-day flagship program, delivered only as a closed course or custom engagement and scoped to your agency.

Group size

No per-person minimum. Scoped to your group size and case mix.

Included

Attendee workbooks and reference cards, certificate of completion, in-class Q&A, and 30 days of post-course email support from Joe.

POST credit

State POST submission is contract-triggered. Upon a signed host agreement for this course, ASC files to apply for credit hours in the host agency’s state (POST, MPTC, MCOLES, TCOLE, CLEET, or equivalent training commission); approval rests with that credentialing body. Attendees from other states receive documentation supporting reciprocal submission in their home jurisdiction.

Travel

Instructor travel and lodging are included in the per-attendee tuition for engagements in the lower 48 states. Alaska, Hawaii, US territories, and international engagements are quoted to the destination.

Booking & policy

Joe scopes every engagement personally and replies within one business day. See the full pricing and formats or the refund & cancellation policy.

Long-form analysis from the ASC Insights library

Search Warrants

Search Warrants That Survive Challenge

Drawn from 1,500-plus warrants and court orders. Affidavit structure, common suppression vulnerabilities, and digital-evidence considerations.

Read → Trauma-Informed

How to Interview a Trauma-Exposed Victim Without Re-Traumatizing Them

Neurobiology of memory under stress, environmental setup, language choices, and documentation standards that hold up at trial.

Read →

Browse All Insights →

Five days. The complete system. The interviewer you've been training to be.