About the course

Entry Level Feed/Food Protection Professionals at the federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial level who perform feed/food regulatory activities.  

a) Goal: The student will be able to describe an investigation.

b) Scope: Topics covered in this course include foundations, communication, agency collaboration, investigation skills, pre-investigation, investigation, and post-investigation.

Course Objectives

Foundations 

1. Define relevant terminology.

2. Explain the significance of high-profile investigations.

3. Explain the difference between an inspection and an investigation.

4. Describe control measures used to mitigate risk to the public.

5. Give examples of different types of investigations.

6. Provide an example of when you would conduct an emergency response investigation.

Communication 

1. Explain the role of agency communication in an investigation.

2. Explain the role of agency communications with the media.

3. Explain the agency policy for releasing information to the public.

4. Explain the limitations on communication of proprietary information.

Agency Collaboration 

1. Give examples of agencies that may potentially be involved.

2. Describe the responsibilities of partner agencies.

3. Describe arrangements allowing agencies to work together.

4. Describe a basic ICS structure for feed/food investigations or incidents.

Investigation Skills 

1. Describe critical thinking in an investigation.

2. Describe the role of communication in an investigation.

3. Differentiate between observation and intuition.

4. Recognize non-verbal communication.

5. Apply effective interview techniques.

6. Write defensible reports.

Pre-investigation 

1. Research information on the commodity.

2. Review documentation on the incident/outbreak leading up to the investigation

3. List the equipment needed during an investigation.

4. Describe safety precautions.

5. Describe common logistical challenges.

Investigation 

1. List types of information that can be collected for use as evidence.

2. Describe agency policy for the collection of evidence.

3. Describe agency policy for the documentation of evidence.

4. Explain the responsibilities of the investigation team.

5. Conduct interviews.

6. Use investigation technologies when conducting an investigation.

Post Investigation 

1. Tabulate findings

2. Describe a chronology of the investigation.

3. Describe contributing factors important to prevention.

4. Explain after-action reports.

5. Discuss findings with other agencies.

6. Explain enforcement measures that can be applied.

 

Duration - 2 hours and 54 minutes:

Unit 1: Foundations- 18 minutes

Unit 2: Communication- 17 minutes

Unit 3: Agency Collaboration- 14 minutes

Unit 4: Investigation Skills- 20 minutes

Unit 5: Pre-Investigation- 28 minutes

Unit 6: Investigation- 51 minutes

Unit 7: Post- Investigation- 26 minutes