Course Level
This Institute program is at the overview level and assumes knowledge of investigatory skills.
Areas of Instruction — Core Competencies
The Association has identified seven broad areas of core competency for inspectors general investigators. The Institute program’s five-day curriculum covers the following seven core competency areas:
- The investigative process
- Professional standards for conducting investigations
- Ethics in investigations
- Legal issues
- Procurement fraud and computer crime
- Investigative techniques
- Working with auditors
Course Learning Objectives and Program Content
Quality Standards for Investigations
- Knowledge and understanding the need for standards
- The importance of standards for investigations
- Knowledge and understanding the specific standards for investigations
Legal Issues in IG Investigations
- The legal distinction between administrative and criminal investigations
- The legal issues confronted by investigators
- Criminal versus administrative interviews
- Presenting cases to prosecutors and testimony in court
Interviewing Techniques
- Numerically quantifying a forensic interview to accurately predict truth or deception
- Understanding how to classify nonverbal behaviors indicative of truth and deception
- How truthful and deceptive suspects will differ in verbally answering specific questions
- How and why truthful and deceptive suspects will differ in their written behaviors
Report Writing
- Organizing and maintaining statements for investigative reports
- When to take statements and the type of required statements
- Preparation of proper case syllabus
Financial Fraud Investigations
- Indicators of potential fraud
- Critical processes for uncovering and investigating financial fraud
- Lack of internal controls in organizations
Computer, Forensic & Computer Data Analysis
- Understanding computer forensics support in the investigative process
- Protocols and procedures for handling and processing of computer evidence
- Identification of patterns of fraud, waste and abuse
Contract Procurement Fraud
- Recognition of procurement/contract fraud schemes
- Investigative steps required in investigations
- Available criminal, civil and administrative remedies
Employee Misconduct Investigations
- Examples of misconduct in public agencies.
- Identification of potential sources of information in misconduct.
- Avoiding investigative difficulties in misconduct.
- Case notification tactics.
Multi-Jurisdictional Investigations
- Importance of coordination and communication among federal, state and local authorities in IG investigations
- Presentment of significant multi-jurisdictional IG investigations
Coordination and Cooperation between Auditors and Investigators
- Coordination and communication between investigative and audit personnel
- Agency-specific responsibility and functions
- Joint projects between investigators and auditors
Ethics and IG Investigations
- Nature and role of ethics laws and standards
- The nexus between IG investigations and ethical issues.
- Ethics as second nature