Managing & training the investigating officer

TIG Brief: The Inspector General, Sept-Oct, 2003 by Melissa Weydert

After conducting a thorough complaint analysis, you make the hard decision to investigate.

Appointing, training and managing your investigating officer should be the easy part. Right?

This article will lead you through the ins and outs of taking care of your IO from start to finish so that in the end you can both be proud of the investigation and the report you generate together as a team.

Although appointing an IO may seem like it will really decrease your work load, you may be surprised to find that your work simply changes. Instead of interviewing and writing, you will be finding, training, equipping and managing an IO.

As the inspector general for your unit, the final report will reflect how well you prepared your IO to do the job and how well you both worked as a team.

There is no escaping the responsibilities you have as the IG to your commander and to the IG process. As Lt. Gen. Robert O. Springer, former Air Force Inspector General, stated, "One unprofessional investigation can undo the credibility of nine professional efforts that precede it. While this may be unfair, it is a reality and we need to work toward making all our efforts as professional as possible."

So, before you quickly appoint Major Smith to do your investigation, there are a few things you need to think about and plan for to ensure success.

First, select the best officer for the investigation. When deciding on who to appoint, think about previous IO experience, appropriate rank, time left on station, subject matter and availability.

Don't let the availability factor drive this decision. The most available officer is not necessarily the best one for the job. Take extra time to choose and make sure this is a solid first step.

Next, you must provide training for your IO. Statistics show that the vast majority of all IG investigations are done by IOs with no investigative experience or training. Therefore, you become the primary trainer.

Even if you are lucky enough to find an IO who has already attended the SAF/IGQ Investigating Officer Training Course, some refresher training will be in order. Either way, SAF/IGQ has done a great job in building the IO Toolkit, an excellent resource for guiding you in training your IO. The toolkit can be found on the main Web page of the Complaints Resolution Directorate at http://www.ig.hq.af.mil/igq.> Although the IO Toolkit provides all necessary briefings, it is not a suitable substitute for your direct involvement and experience.

After training, you will need to ensure your IO has the resources to get the job done. Providing as much support as possible will allow your IO to focus on the investigation. Your investigator will need:

* A good place to work that is private, removed from the normal duty area and near you.

* An appreciation of the time required to get an investigation done. If possible, provide your IO with:

* a new e-mail account to use on this investigation only.

* a recording device and a means to transcribe the interviews. Some offices use a transcription service, but that is not necessary. Just find the best option for your IG office.

* as many templates and sample documents as possible so your IO is not starting from zero. If you need assistance with obtaining templates, contact your major command IGQ office.

Once fully trained and equipped, your IO will need you most as the investigation begins. A briefing may make an investigation sound easy, but it is not. You need to be there to mentor and guide the IO through the process. Be a sounding board for your IO's questions and review the investigative plan. Along the way your team will find it's easier to make small corrections early than to wait for the final report and find major omissions or errors.

When an investigation and report are done correctly, the result will be a case that reflects favorably on the IG process.

If done incorrectly, it can be the beginning of a very long nightmare.

This is one process worth doing right the first time. By working as a team throughout the entire process, your IO will not feel overwhelmed, and the product you produce together will be worthy of the IG name.

Read more about it

* Investigating Officer Toolkit Version 2.0

TIG Brief, Jan.-Feb. 2003, page 17.

* The IG, the JAG and the Preponderance of Evidence

TIG Brief, Mar-Apr 2003, page 16.

Lt. Col. Melissa Weydert AFRC/IGQ melissa.weydert@afrc.af.mil

Lt. Col. Weydert is chief, Inquiries and Investigations for Air Force Reserve Command. She briefed this article's topic at the 2003 Worldwide SAF/IG Conference earlier this year.