Description:

Join us for a two-hour session exploring core investigative methods used in sexual assault cases. The webinar will cover a range of techniques to support comprehensive investigations, including:

• Conducting effective interviews

• Conducting searches and evaluating physical and digital evidence

• Controlled Phone Calls

• Documentation

This training is geared towards law enforcement and other allied professionals. Advocates should remember that they are non-investigatory positions.

Trainer: Rebekah McKinzie

With over 20 years of distinguished service at the Gainesville Police Department, Rebekah McKinzie retired as a lieutenant after a career marked by leadership, innovation, and dedication to victim-centered policing. As a long-time investigator and supervisor within the Criminal Investigations Division, Rebekah played a pivotal role in GPD’s response to  sexual assault cases. In 2015, while leading GPD’s Child and Sex Crimes squad, Rebekah spearheaded the department’s transition to trauma-informed practices, making Gainesville one of the first agencies in Florida to train all officers—both investigators and patrol personnel—in this progressive response model. Trauma informed interviewing is now taught in GPD's mini academy for all new hires.  Her efforts not only improved case outcomes but significantly enhanced support for survivors. Motivated by training she received from the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence, Rebekah recognized how traditional interview techniques often failed to account for the impact of trauma, leading to misinterpretations and missed opportunities for justice. Her success at GPD led to her selection as a statewide trainer for the Council, where she now educates professionals across Florida—including law enforcement, corrections, military, prosecutors, and healthcare providers—on trauma-informed approaches to sexual assault investigations. Rebekah is also a certified instructor for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and an adjunct faculty member at Santa Fe College’s Institute of Public Safety, where she trains the next generation of police officers. Her instructional specialties include child sexual exploitation, internet crimes against children, and advanced sexual assault investigation techniques. Her investigative experience spans narcotics enforcement, complex fraud, domestic violence, sexual assault, and crimes against children.

This project was supported by Subgrant No. LN321 awarded by the state administering office for the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice's STOP Formula Grant Program. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this training are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the state or the U.S. Department of Justice.