Cost: $50.00

Location: Boerne Police Department  124 Old San Antonio Rd., Boerne, TX 78006

8:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m daily

Over the course of the career of most police officers and investigators, the likelihood of responding to a report of a suicide is much greater than that of most other scenes involving the death of a human being. The suicide crime scene is one of the most difficult to investigate because the scene carries with it the temptation to determine the cause of death as suicide long before the facts and evidence can support that determination. The emotional impact of suicide on the surviving family members and friends makes this scene even more difficult to investigate than some homicides. Families may believe that the investigator reached the wrong conclusion due to a poorly, incompetently, or unprofessionally conducted investigation. The investigator conducting a potential suicide scene needs to be prepared to have his or her work questioned by the surviving family of the victim or other interested parties. A crime scene that has been processed correctly in conjunction with a thorough investigation will assist the investigator in answering those questions. Course topics include;

Day One

• Historical Perspective on Suicide
• Cultural Perspective on Suicide
• Categories of Suicide
• A Close Look at Depression
• The Correlation Between Depression & Suicide
• Risk Factors for Suicide
• Motives for Suicide

Day Two

• Five Components of a Successful Investigation
• The Evaluation of Evidence at the Suicide Scene
• An Examination of Suicide Notes
• Evaluation of Wounds
• What to Do When the Deceased is Another Officer
• Making a Proper Death Notification for a Suicide

The instructor, Dr. Anita Seamans, has been teaching issues in criminal investigation for over 27 years and is a 32-year law enforcement veteran. Dr. Seamans earned a Doctorate of Philosophy in Organizational Leadership from Our Lady of the Lake University in 2011 and has been an instructor at the AACOG Police Academy, Our Lady of the Lake University, The University of Texas at San Antonio, and is a national instructor for Professional Law Enforcement Training. Dr. Seamans is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy and served as the Director of the Southwest Regional Academy in Mancos, Colorado. She recently retired as the director of the Southwest Regional Law Enforcement Academy located in Southwest Colorado. Dr. Seamans worked for the Live Oak Police Department for 31 years and was a member of the criminal investigation unit for 20 years. She has investigated a wide range of criminal cases, including capital murder, sexual assault, robbery, negligent homicide, child abuse, credit card fraud, drug offenses, burglary, and theft. She participated in a multi-jurisdictional SWAT team and served that team as a combat medic, sniper, sniper team leader, assistant commander, and commander. Dr. Seamans is a recognized expert in questioned document examination and handwriting comparison.  She was assigned to the F.B.I. task force "Innocent Images," where she served for 18 months and was also assigned to a D.E.A. task force in 2014. Dr. Seamans has been featured on the television series "I almost got away with it", "Women Behind Bars," and "Dr. G Medical Examiner".

Payment/Cancellation/Refund Policy

Payment by credit card should be made at the time of registration. Payment by check should be received before the class date, however payment by check or cash may be made at the beginning of class.

Cancellations should be made as soon as possible in order to allow those students on a waiting list time to register and pay for the class. Cancellations made two weeks prior to class will be eligible for a refund. Cash, Check and credit card payments are refundable, however convenience fees associated with credit card payments are non-refundable.

We understand situations arise where cancellation is necessary. However, repeated cancellations may affect future attendance in other classes.