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File #: 0405-2024    Version: 1
Type: Ordinance Status: Passed
File created: 1/31/2024 In control: Public Safety & Criminal Justice Committee
On agenda: 2/26/2024 Final action: 2/29/2024
Title: To authorize the Director of the Department of Public Safety, on behalf of the Division of Police, to enter into contract with Veracities Public Benefit Corporation for the training of officers in Forensic Experiential Trauma Interview methodology (FETI); to waive the competitive bidding provisions of the Columbus City Codes; to authorize an expenditure of $128,205.00 from the Police Continual Educational Fund and Entrepreneurial Training Program Fund; to appropriate funds in the Entrepreneurial Training Program Fund; and to declare an emergency. ($128,205.00)
Attachments: 1. Sole Source Form (002), 2. Funding template - Veracities, 3. Waiver Form - FETI
Explanation

BACKGROUND: Our community’s awareness of trauma, and its effect on our society, our neighborhoods, and our residents has increased in recent years. Trauma informed practices have become best practices in public health, education, and government. The law enforcement community has also recognized the need for trauma informed practices to be part of the training curriculum, as so many of our police officers are the first responders and investigators of our societies traumatizing events.

Historically, police interview and interrogation training has been separate from trauma informed interviewing which was usually reserved for forensic interviews of child victims of abuse. As the field increasingly recognizes the effect trauma has on victims, witnesses, and suspects across all ages, the Columbus Division of Police recognizes the need to train our officers and detectives in a manner consistent with our awareness of the needs in our community.

The Columbus Division of Police requests approval to spend $128,205.00 for ninety-nine Columbus Division of Police detectives and officers to complete Forensic Experiential Trauma Interview, (FETI) training facilitated by Veracities Public Benefit Corporation. This training, which will be held at the Columbus Police Academy, is an unprecedented opportunity to train approximately 1/3 of our detectives simultaneously. Not only does it put the Division of Police on the forefront of the next generation of interviewing techniques, but it also represents the City’s commitment to the reimagining of public safety, by choosing to innovate in a way, and at a scale, that demonstrates the Division’s commitment to our residents.

FETI is a science and practice-based interviewing methodology informed by the current research on the neurobiology of trauma and memory. FETI® provides interviewers with a framework to maximize the opportunities for information collection and accurately document the interview in a neutral, equitable, an...

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