DA Office holds child abuse investigations training

District Attorney Erik Johnson, along with the Pontotoc Technology Center and Case First Forensics and Consulting, hosted a training called “Practical Child Abuse Investigations” last week for local law enforcement agencies.

District Attorney Violent Crimes Investigator Doug Parker was the presenter, and representatives from Chickasaw Nation Child Protective Services, Oklahoma City Police Department, Care Cottage, Ada Police Department, The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Holdenville Police Department and Seminole Nation Lighthorse Police Department were in attendance.

“Training and educating my staff and community has been one of my biggest priorities since I took office,” Johnson said. “This training was a great way to sharpen our skill sets, collaborate on specific cases or general investigative methods, and receive free training for our professional requirements.”  

The class covered several topics crucial to efficiently investigating crimes involving child abuse, including understanding agency roles, strategies for conducting a child abuse investigation, crime scene photography, evidence collection and preservation, scene sketching, and interview and interrogation strategies. The Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training (CLEET) cataloged the class to satisfy eight hours of the mandatory continuing education credit that law enforcement officers are required to participate in each year to maintain their certification.

Doug Parker joined the District Attorney’s investigative team in January after 24 years with the Oklahoma City Police Department. He spent the last 2.5 years at OKCPD as a homicide investigator, and 15 years as an investigator with the Crimes Against Children Unit. Parker investigated homicides, officer-involved shootings, crimes against children, and deaths of children under 12 years old in that capacity.