Speaker Biography: Paul Sherwin was appointed by Department of Public Safety Secretary Eric Hooks as the director of PPS in June 2020. Prior to his appointment, he served as the agency’s Deputy Director.Sherwin previously worked in corporate security with DHL Global Forwarding, and in law enforcement with the Norfolk Southern Railway Police Department in Raleigh; the Durham County Sheriff’s Office; and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Hillsboro, Oregon. Sherwin is a veteran who served in the Oregon Army National Guard and the U.S. Army from 2002 to 2011, where he achieved the rank of captain and worked primarily in the infantry and field artillery branches. He completed one deployment to Mosul, Iraq, in 2008. Sherwin received a BS degree in journalism from the University of Oregon and a Master’s Degree in administration from Queens University of Charlotte.

Topic: Marketing yourself like an entrepreneur (1 hour) and Investigating like a journalist (1 hour)
Speaker: Hal Humphreys
[email protected]

Speaker Biography: Thomas “Hal” Humphreys is co-owner and director of instruction at PI Education and executive editor of Pursuit Magazine. As a certified fraud examiner, certified general real estate appraiser, and licensed private investigator, Hal has spent nearly 30 years chasing down information by knocking on doors and digging into musty courthouse archives. As owner of [FIND] Investigations, a PI agency in Nashville, TN, Hal discovered the work he loves best: criminal defense investigations. He’s worked high-profile murder cases for private attorneys and post-conviction cases for the federal defender’s office. Hal is also a writer and radio producer whose work has appeared on Marketplace and WYNC’s On the Media and Fast Company.

Topic Overview: Conducting interviews is a crucial role performed by the investigator, one that must follow a thorough process. Hal will provide an overview of interviewing and investigative skills used by investigators to gather relevant information to assist the legal team in case preparation. Participants will learn to identify and find witnesses, use public and private sources of information, and prepare and conduct interviews of witnesses. Ethical considerations that affect the interviewing and investigating process will also be addressed.

Topic: Detecting Deception (4 hours)
Speaker: Mike Ruggiero

Mike is a IADLEST Certified Instructor as well as certified with the state of Florida.  He has his own training company, The Police Training Institute.  Mike has provided training across the US and conducted seminars for the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Center for Credibility Assessment, the Southeastern Homicide Investigators Association, and the International Arson.

Topic Overview:Mike is going to provide a talk covering topics in his "Detecting Deception" training class.  Graphology will cover some personality traits found in writing as well as some signs of aggression and deception.  Next, we'll discuss how to properly gauge body language, particularly in the context of interviews and interrogations.  Last, we'll cover how to analyze both written and verbal statements based on the words people use.

Topic: Working with the Defense Team on Murder Cases (2 hours)
Speaker: David Botchin

This will be a 2 session presentation focusing on the expanded role a private investigator (IDS - "Fact Investigator") can play as part of the total defense team in murder cases.  The first session will address some expanded roles that the investigator can do upon being retained and suggestions that can be made to the attorney(s) for better and expanded role of the investigators.  This will address how the expanded role will also benefit the defendant.  The second session will address matters involving the investigators potential expanded role in working with the entire defense team (inclusive of forensic experts).