Certified Administrative Force Investigator (C.A.F.I.)

This is first and foremost an administrative force investigation course. You're not responding to the field to conduct the investigation. You're working with the documents and evidence already provided to you, and you may end up conducting a portion of your own investigation. You'll apply the standard and conduct the analysis the same way, but we're not talking about going out into the field and taking measurements, although you most certainly should if that's your responsibility.

The Problem

Most force investigators are doing the best they can, investigating force, without training to do it.

Most internal investigators learned on the job. They may have attended a general class, but oftentimes that class is not specific to force investigations, and it's usually not taught by someone who is an expert in force investigations.

Because of that, the investigation often goes unchallenged. The investigator believes they've done a good job, and a vast majority of the time, that's just not the case. Most internal investigations done without training have some pretty serious flaws.

Often the investigation doesn't actually apply the standard. The report talks about the standard, then mentions the officer's actions, but there is no analysis.

Investigators don't set out to do a bad job. They aren't trying to pencil whip it. They're trying to do a thorough and accurate job. They've just never been shown what thorough and accurate means. Their policy may say "tense, uncertain, and rapidly evolving," but have they ever been shown what that means?

Unless you conduct the proper analysis, you'll never fully understand why what happened happened. How does someone who only reviews documents understand why an officer couldn't get out of the way when a car was bearing down on him?

What This Course Does

No general class sits you down and shows you how to dissect the standard. In this course, you'll learn to evaluate the evidence against that standard, ask officers questions about that standard, and then report the similarities or differences between that standard and what the officer said and did.

You have to have someone show you how to do it correctly in order to do it correctly.

The course includes debriefs of real-world cases.

What You'll Be Able to Do

1. Properly analyze force.
2. Give the officer his due process. An officer may have done something completely wrong, but until you properly analyze it, you'll never know whether he did it the right way or the wrong way.
3. Produce more thorough and defensible investigations.
4. Know you're doing it right.

The Story

Your Instructor

Danny King spent 24 years in uniform and has specialized in force and complex use-of-force incidents since 2012. He served full time on his department's training staff, holds Force Science Institute certifications, and has reviewed thousands of force reports and video files. He works as a use-of-force expert witness in civil and criminal cases.

Course Details

• Dates: January 12–14, 2027 (Tuesday–Thursday)
• Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Pacific (seven hours of instruction, one hour for lunch)
• Format: Live online
• Total training hours: 24 (21 hours of class plus pre-work)
• Tuition: $895
• Class size: Limited to 20
• Law enforcement only. You must register with your official/government email address.

Earning the Certification

To be certified, you must:

• Complete the pre-work
• Participate in class
• Pass the practical exercises: video analysis, force analysis applying the standard, question prep, and an interview
• Pass a written test

Your Next Step: The Training Interest Form

Put your information in here. We will send you a flyer with a training interest that you can either download or send directly to your supervisor.

Register

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What Happens After You Register

1. You'll receive a confirmation email at your official/government email address.
2. You'll get your Zoom link for all three days, January 12–14, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Pacific.
3. You'll receive your pre-work: assemble your agency standards and your state laws and case law as they relate to force.
4. You'll take the pretest before class.
5. Day one, log in with your camera on, ready to work.

Payment

Agencies may pay by credit card or purchase order. Contact us to request an invoice.

FAQ

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