Seminar Title
Online-The Art of Documentation — Turning Observations into Evidence
Dates of Events
09/17/2026 through 09/17/2026
Last Updated: 09/14/2026
Instructor(s): Thomas Martin
Course Registration Fee: $150
Instructor Bio
Thomas Martin
Tom Martin, Senior Investigator, New York State Police, (retired)Senior Investigator
Tom Martin retired from the New York State Police after a twenty-two year career. Tom began his law enforcement career in 1988 as a uniformed New York State Trooper, and spent the majority of his career assigned to a full time crime scene/ major case investigation unit, retiring as the supervisor of that unit.
Upon his retirement, Tom established his forensic consulting company, Crime Scene Forensics, LLC, and provides forensic training and case consultations nationwide. He continues to work regularly in the field of forensic investigations and concentrates on homicide and questioned death scene investigations, bloodstain pattern analysis cases, shooting incident reconstructions and officer involved shooting investigations and reconstructions.
Tom has worked with the U.S. State Dept and the International Association of Chiefs of Police, (IACP) in developing and delivering training programs involving evidence based investigations for ranking members of Iraqi police forcesTom is a nationally recognized speaker who has been providing training to law enforcement agencies nationwide for over three decades.
Tom has been reconstructing OIS cases for thirty-seven years, as a state police supervisor and as a forensic expert in private practice. He testifies regularly as an expert witness in OIS cases in both state and federal courts throughout the country.
Tom Martin, Senior Investigator, New York State Police, (retired)Senior Investigator
Tom Martin retired from the New York State Police after a twenty-two year career. Tom began his law enforcement career in 1988 as a uniformed New York State Trooper, and spent the majority of his career assigned to a full time crime scene/ major case investigation unit, retiring as the supervisor of that unit.
Upon his retirement, Tom established his forensic consulting company, Crime Scene Forensics, LLC, and provides forensic training and case consultations nationwide. He continues to work regularly in the field of forensic investigations and concentrates on homicide and questioned death scene investigations, bloodstain pattern analysis cases, shooting incident reconstructions and officer involved shooting investigations and reconstructions.
Tom has worked with the U.S. State Dept and the International Association of Chiefs of Police, (IACP) in developing and delivering training programs involving evidence based investigations for ranking members of Iraqi police forcesTom is a nationally recognized speaker who has been providing training to law enforcement agencies nationwide for over three decades.
Tom has been reconstructing OIS cases for thirty-seven years, as a state police supervisor and as a forensic expert in private practice. He testifies regularly as an expert witness in OIS cases in both state and federal courts throughout the country.
Course Objectives
Course Overview:
Date: September 17, 2026
Time: 1:00-3:00pm Eastern
The Skills That Turn Patrol Officers Into Investigators: Cases don't fall apart in the courtroom — they fall apart at the scene. By the time a defense attorney finds the gap in your report, the vague timeline, the undocumented transfer, or the observation that was never written down, it's too late to fix it. The scene is gone. The moment has passed. What lives on is the documentation, and if that documentation is incomplete, so is your case. This webinar exists for the investigators who understand that reality and want to make sure their work on the scene is never undermined by what's missing on paper.
Modern investigations succeed or fail on the strength of their documentation. Reports, notes, photos, diagrams, timelines, and evidence logs are not “paperwork”—they are the backbone of every prosecution. When they’re incomplete, vague, or inaccurate, cases fall apart. This webinar provides officers, detectives, and death‑scene investigators with valuable tips on how to document scenes, evidence, statements, and decisions in a way that withstands scrutiny from prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, and juries. Emphasis is placed on “What to document,” How to document, “ and “Why to document” specific information.
Because the Scene Only Speaks Once Too often, first patrol officers and supervisors on scene are quick to defer to crime scene investigators who will be arriving later and will “handle it.” But the most critical information—the things that may shape the entire investigation—are visible only in the first moments. They disappear quickly, and they are almost never recoverable. Learn how those first on scene can make and document the most important details of the investigation without touching or contaminating any part of the scene.
Emphasis is placed on the decisions and observations that often go unrecorded — the light switch that was flipped, the door that was already open, the alarm that someone silenced before investigators arrived. These details shape the narrative of an entire investigation, and they exist only in the memory of the first officers through the door. This course gives those officers — and the investigators who follow them — the tools to capture that information completely, accurately, and in a form the courtroom will respect.
Topics include:
• Foundational Documentation Principles — accuracy, completeness, neutrality in note taking
• Avoiding Ambiguity — eliminating assumptions, vague language, and unsupported conclusions.
• Did you change anything out of necessity? - light switches on or off, doors open or closed, music tv volume lowered, alarm turned off, weapon moved for safety reasons, etc..
• Gathering and interviewing witnesses — verbatim quotes, excited utterances, timelines, sensory details, inconsistencies, and demeanor.
• Suspect descriptions and eye witness identifications - there’s so much more than height, weight, and clothing
• Suspect Statements and Behavior: Is the caller a concerned friend or perpetrator of the crime — spontaneous utterances, injuries, clothing, emotional state, and contradictions
• Case-Specific Considerations — Targeted guidance for child abuse cases, domestic violence calls, residential burglaries, and the observations that matter most at death scenes.
• The critical importance of accurate scene diagrams
• Photography tips and suggestions
Group Viewing Encouraged: Pay 1 Registration Fee
·Multiple attendees can group view the training from one device only and each attendee will receive a certificate.
·ONLY the registered attendee will receive a link to join the training (Link will be sent 1-2 Days Prior to the Event)
Quiz & Certificates: Within 24 hours after the live broadcast the registered attendee will receive an email with:
·Quiz link that will need to be forwarded to each person in your group so they may print a certificate after completing the quiz.
·30 Days Access of the Recording (this link may be shared with with others in your department only)
*** No Refunds After Class Link Has Been Sent*
Time: 1:00-3:00pm Eastern
The Skills That Turn Patrol Officers Into Investigators: Cases don't fall apart in the courtroom — they fall apart at the scene. By the time a defense attorney finds the gap in your report, the vague timeline, the undocumented transfer, or the observation that was never written down, it's too late to fix it. The scene is gone. The moment has passed. What lives on is the documentation, and if that documentation is incomplete, so is your case. This webinar exists for the investigators who understand that reality and want to make sure their work on the scene is never undermined by what's missing on paper.
Modern investigations succeed or fail on the strength of their documentation. Reports, notes, photos, diagrams, timelines, and evidence logs are not “paperwork”—they are the backbone of every prosecution. When they’re incomplete, vague, or inaccurate, cases fall apart. This webinar provides officers, detectives, and death‑scene investigators with valuable tips on how to document scenes, evidence, statements, and decisions in a way that withstands scrutiny from prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, and juries. Emphasis is placed on “What to document,” How to document, “ and “Why to document” specific information.
Because the Scene Only Speaks Once Too often, first patrol officers and supervisors on scene are quick to defer to crime scene investigators who will be arriving later and will “handle it.” But the most critical information—the things that may shape the entire investigation—are visible only in the first moments. They disappear quickly, and they are almost never recoverable. Learn how those first on scene can make and document the most important details of the investigation without touching or contaminating any part of the scene.
Emphasis is placed on the decisions and observations that often go unrecorded — the light switch that was flipped, the door that was already open, the alarm that someone silenced before investigators arrived. These details shape the narrative of an entire investigation, and they exist only in the memory of the first officers through the door. This course gives those officers — and the investigators who follow them — the tools to capture that information completely, accurately, and in a form the courtroom will respect.
Topics include:
• Foundational Documentation Principles — accuracy, completeness, neutrality in note taking
• Avoiding Ambiguity — eliminating assumptions, vague language, and unsupported conclusions.
• Did you change anything out of necessity? - light switches on or off, doors open or closed, music tv volume lowered, alarm turned off, weapon moved for safety reasons, etc..
• Gathering and interviewing witnesses — verbatim quotes, excited utterances, timelines, sensory details, inconsistencies, and demeanor.
• Suspect descriptions and eye witness identifications - there’s so much more than height, weight, and clothing
• Suspect Statements and Behavior: Is the caller a concerned friend or perpetrator of the crime — spontaneous utterances, injuries, clothing, emotional state, and contradictions
• Case-Specific Considerations — Targeted guidance for child abuse cases, domestic violence calls, residential burglaries, and the observations that matter most at death scenes.
• The critical importance of accurate scene diagrams
• Photography tips and suggestions
Group Viewing Encouraged: Pay 1 Registration Fee
·Multiple attendees can group view the training from one device only and each attendee will receive a certificate.
·ONLY the registered attendee will receive a link to join the training (Link will be sent 1-2 Days Prior to the Event)
Quiz & Certificates: Within 24 hours after the live broadcast the registered attendee will receive an email with:
·Quiz link that will need to be forwarded to each person in your group so they may print a certificate after completing the quiz.
·30 Days Access of the Recording (this link may be shared with with others in your department only)
*** No Refunds After Class Link Has Been Sent*
