About the Director
Gary L. Griffiths - Director
Advanced Force Tactics, Inc.
- Experience
- Formal Education
- Military Education
- Specialized Education
- Teaching Experience
- Specialized Experience
- Accomplishments
- Professional Publications
- Scientific Presentations
- Professional Affiliations
EXPERIENCE
Director and Chief Instructor 1999 - Present
Advanced Force Tactics, Inc., Lewisville, Texas
Own and operate firm specializing in training advanced combat gunfighting tactics, judgmental shooting, and shooting psychology to law enforcement and security professionals by means of advanced audiovisual situational simulators. Provide training to individual agencies. Evaluate officer proficiency in verbal commands, threat recognition, use of cover, judgment, application of laws and policy, timing of responses, observation, and marksmanship. Identify weaknesses which might endanger the officer or others in real-world deadly force situations and provide the necessary training to overcome such weaknesses. Develop the firm’s program of instruction, program situational simulators to train officers at higher skill levels, and procure new equipment to enhance training realism. Script, flowchart, and produce advanced video scenarios to help officers overcome common weaknesses.
Chief Instructor 1996 - 1998
National Firearms Training, Inc., Marietta, Georgia
Teach combat gunfighting tactics, judgmental shooting, and shooting psychology to law enforcement and security professionals by means of advanced audiovisual situational simulators. Evaluate officer proficiency in verbal commands, threat recognition, use of cover, judgment, application of laws and policy, timing of responses, observation, and marksmanship. Identify weaknesses which might endanger the officer or others in real-world deadly force situations and provide the necessary training to overcome such weaknesses. Supervise revisions to the firm's program of instruction, program simulators to train officers at higher skill levels, and recommend new equipment for procurement and use.
Instructor 1994 - 1996
National Firearms Training, Inc., Marietta, Georgia
Teach combat gunfighting tactics, judgmental shooting, and shooting psychology to law enforcement and security professionals by means of advanced audiovisual situational simulators. Evaluate officer proficiency in verbal commands, threat recognition, use of cover, judgment, application of laws and policy, timing of responses, observation, and marksmanship. Identify weaknesses which might endanger the officer or others in real-world deadly force situations and provide the necessary training to overcome such weaknesses.
Counselor (Offender Rehabilitation) 1993 - 1994
Georgia State Department of Corrections, Wrightsville, Georgia
Deliver clinical counseling services to over 90 Violent Predator criminal offenders in a medium security institution. Develop psychological profiles based on criminal history and observed behavior. Classify offenders and develop rehabilitative treatment plans oriented to the needs of individual offenders. Plan and conduct group and individual counseling sessions for offenders with various behavioral deficiencies.
Director and Principal Psycholinguistic Analyst (Consulting) 1992 - Present
Advanced Forensic Technologies, Inc., Fayetteville, Georgia
Own and operate consulting firm specializing in providing forensic psychological support to the law enforcement, security, and legal communities by conducting cognitive and hypnotic interviews, and by performing psycholinguistic credibility assessments.
Regional Director 1991 - 1992
Litigation Technical Services, Inc., Fayetteville, Georgia
Direct firm's activities in a five state area. Recruit, qualify, and negotiate consulting agreements with experts in various fields, and market their services to the legal community. Negotiate agreements with law firms, and assemble teams of experts to assist in legal cases requiring expert testimony.
Chief of Research and Development of Investigative Technology 1984 - 1991
Headquarters, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID), Falls Church, Virginia and Forest Park, Georgia
Responsible for research and development of all new forensic and technical investigative techniques and equipment worldwide for the U.S. Army CID. Budgeted for and supervised procurement of all new investigative equipment. Establish and maintain effective liaison with Federal law enforcement and investigative agencies to share information pertaining to new investigative techniques and equipment.
Criminal Intelligence Coordinator 1983 - 1984
Headquarters, Second Region, U.S. Army CID, Heidelberg, Germany
Collect, analyze, coordinate, disseminate and report criminal intelligence on major economic crimes, large scale international drug trafficking and terrorism throughout Europe and the Middle East. Establish and maintain effective liaison with law enforcement and intelligence agencies in various nations throughout Western Europe.
Special Agent-in-Charge 1981 - 1983
Bitburg Branch Office, U.S. Army CID, Bitburg, Germany
Supervise the CID Office responsible for investigating major felonies involving U.S. Army interests in the Eiffel Region of Germany. Establish and maintain liaison with German local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, with German civil and political authorities, and with other U.S. Military law enforcement and investigative agencies.
Investigations Branch Chief and Instructor 1979 - 1981
Directorate of Training Developments, U.S. Army Military Police School, Fort McClellan, Alabama
Teach Investigative Hypnosis, Arson and Explosion, Informants, Criminal Information, Covert Operations, Use and Management of Confidential Funds, Surveillance, Raids, and Firearms Utilization in Military Police Investigation, Criminal Investigation, Criminal Investigation Warrant Officer Advanced, Advanced Investigative Management, and Military Police Officer Advanced courses. Serve as U.S. Army doctrinal subject matter expert on fire and arson investigation and on investigative hypnosis. Responsible for development and maintenance of all investigative doctrine and programs of instruction.
Investigative Team Chief and Criminal Intelligence Coordinator 1976 - 1978
Fort Lewis District, U.S. Army CID, Fort Lewis, Washington
Investigate major felonies involving U.S. Army interests on or near the Fort Lewis Military Reservation. Supervise Crimes Against Property Team of ten Special Agents, responsible for all larceny, arson, and property damage cases on Fort Lewis. Later, supervise five Military Police Investigators in the Installation Criminal Intelligence Center, and perform liaison with local, state, and Federal law enforcement agencies, and with other U.S. Military law enforcement and investigative agencies.
Special Agent and Evidence Custodian 1973 - 1976
Stuttgart Field Office, U.S. Army CID, Stuttgart, Germany
Investigate major felonies involving U.S. Army interests near Stuttgart, Germany. Maintain strict accountability of over 5,000 items of criminal evidence. Maintain liaison with German local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, and with other U.S. Military law enforcement and investigative agencies.
Apprentice Special Agent 1972 - 1973
Livorno Resident Agency, U.S. Army CID, Livorno, Italy
Assist in the investigation of major felonies involving U.S. Army interests near Livorno and Pisa, Italy. Maintain liaison with Italian law enforcement agencies, and with other U.S. Military law enforcement and investigative agencies.
Military Policeman 1972
U.S. Army, Camp Darby (Livorno), Italy
Security Guard controlling access to Top Secret communications site.
Military Policeman 1971 - 1972
U.S. Army, 591st MP Company, Fort Bliss, Texas
Police Patrolman and Operations Clerk. Responsible for Post Found Property Room and for serving warrants for local civilian authorities.
FORMAL EDUCATION
- Graduate of Van Buren Community High School, Keosauqua, Iowa, 1966.
- Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, University of Iowa, 1971.
- Certificate in Clinical Hypnotherapy, Washington School of Professional Hypnosis, 1978.
- Master of Arts in Counseling (Clinical Orientation), Ball State University, 1983.
MILITARY EDUCATION
- Basic Combat Training and Military Police Advanced Individual Training, 1971.
- Criminal Investigation Basic Course (Distinguished Graduate), 1973.
- Criminal Investigation Logistics Management Orientation Course, 1976.
- Basic Instructor Training Course, 1979.
- Interservice Procedures for Instructional Systems Design, 1980.
- U.S. Army Military Police School Management Plan Development Course, 1980.
- Executive Level Training Manager Course, 1980.
- Field Manual Development Course, 1981.
- Criminal Investigation Warrant Officer Advanced Course, 1981.
- Warrant Officer Senior Course, 1984.
SPECIALIZED EDUCATION
- Narcotics and Dangerous Drug Law Enforcement, Drug Enforcement Administration, 1976.
- Short Course in Fire and Arson Investigation, Northwest Fire and Arson Seminar, 1977.
- Identi-Kit System of Physical Identification, Identi-Kit Company, 1977.
- Basic Hypnotism, Washington School of Professional Hypnosis, 1978.
- Arson Investigation Phases II and III (Washington State Arson Certification Program), Seattle Police Department, 1978.
- Hostage Negotiations, FBI Law Enforcement Training School, 1978.
- Clinical Hypnotherapy, Washington School of Professional Hypnosis, 1978.
- Investigative Hypnosis, Law Enforcement Hypnosis Institute, 1978.
- Advanced Hypnosis in Criminal Justice, Valencia Community College, 1979.
- Arson Investigation Phase IV (Washington State Arson Certification Program), National Fire Academy, 1979.
- Federal Forensic Hypnosis Seminar, FBI Academy, 1981.
- Hostage Negotiation Advanced Course, FBI Academy, 1982.
- Forensic Psychology, University of Maryland, 1982.
- Audio Surveillance and Countermeasures, Ross Engineering, 1985.
- Child Abuse and Exploitation Investigative Techniques Training Program, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, 1985.
- Symposium on Child Sexual Abuse, Pennsylvania State University, 1985.
- Advanced Forensic and Investigative Hypnosis, Ohio Association for Forensic and Investigative Hypnosis, 1985.
- Child Abuse/Child Sexual Assault Investigation Training, Vermont State Police Academy, 1985.
- World Conference on Police Psychology, FBI Academy, 1985.
- Electronic Surveillance, Army and Air Force Exchange Service, 1986.
- The Cannabinoids: Current Methodology and Interpretation, American Academy of Forensic Sciences, 1986.
- Traumatic Death in the Workplace, American Academy of Forensic Sciences, 1986.
- Audio and Night Vision Surveillance, Mid-Atlantic Technical Investigator's Association, 1986.
- Designer Drugs, American Academy of Forensic Sciences, 1987.
- Media Relations for the Forensic Scientist, American Academy of Forensic Sciences, 1987.
- Technical Investigations Training, National Technical Investigator's Association, 1987.
- Symposium on Recent Advances in Arson Analysis and Detection, American Academy of Forensic Sciences, 1988.
- Whose Bones -- Techniques in Forensic Anthropology, American Academy of Forensic Sciences, 1988.
- Electronic and Technical Surveillance Training, National Technical Investigator's Association, 1988.
- Facial Muscle Reconstruction, American Academy of Forensic Sciences, 1989.
- Recovery, Examination and Evidence of Decomposed Bodies, American Academy of Forensic Sciences, 1989.
- Electronic and Technical Surveillance Training, National Technical Investigator's Association, 1989.
- Investigative Software, Federal Computer Investigations Committee, 1989.
- Recovery and Evidence of Decomposed and Skeletonized Bodies: An Anthropological and Entomological Approach, American Academy of Forensic Sciences, 1990.
- Serial, Mass, and Sexual Killers: Typologies and Selected Case Studies, American Academy of Forensic Sciences, 1990.
- Electronic and Technical Surveillance Training, National Technical Investigator's Association, 1990.
- Entomological and Botanical Evidence of Decomposed Remains, American Academy of Forensic Sciences, 1991.
- Serial, Mass, and Sexual Homicide: Selected Case Studies, American Academy of Forensic Sciences, 1991.
- Scientific Content Analysis, Laboratory for Scientific Interrogation, 1991.
- How To Be a Better Expert Witness, American Academy of Forensic Sciences, 1992.
- Behavioral Aspects of Crime Investigation for Criminal and Civil Litigation, American Academy of Forensic Sciences, 1994.
- Judgmental Shooting Instructor Training Course, National Firearms Training, 1994.
- Contemporary Issues of Fire Investigation and Analysis, American Academy of Forensic Sciences, 1995.
- Use of Force Conference, American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers, 1997.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
- Instructor of Introduction to Law Enforcement, Police-Community Relations, Surveillance, Criminal Investigations, and Firearms Training for Central Texas College, 1974-1975.
- Instructor of Investigative Hypnosis, Arson and Explosion, Informants, Raids, Criminal Information, Covert Operations, Use and Management of Confidential Funds, Surveillance, Unarmed Self-Defense, and Firearms Utilization in advanced law enforcement courses at the U.S. Army Military Police School, 1979-1980.
- Responsible for development and maintenance of all criminal investigative doctrine, programs of instruction, and examinations at the U.S. Army Military Police School, 1980-1981.
- U.S. Army doctrinal subject matter expert on fire and arson investigation and on investigative hypnosis, 1979-1981.
- Developed and presented three-day seminar on investigative and forensic hypnosis to law enforcement and mental health professionals at Evergreen Community College, 1980.
- Developed and presented two-day seminar on hypnotic investigative techniques for law enforcement professionals at Quad-Cities Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Training Center, Black Hawk College, 1981.
- Lectured on state-of-the-art forensic and investigative technology to advanced criminal investigation courses at U.S. Army Military Police School, 1985-1991.
- Developed four-day course on electronic surveillance and presented to criminal investigation supervisory personnel at the U.S. Army Military Police School, 1987-1991.
- Developed three-day course on detecting deception through psycholinguistic analysis and presented to law enforcement and security personnel at Emory University, 1992-1993.
- Instruct combat gunfighting, judgmental shooting, and shooting psychology to law enforcement officers nationwide for an average of over 2,000 hours annually, 1994-Present.
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE
- Qualified as Expert Witness in the field of firearms, 1974.
- Qualified as Expert Witness in the field of drug identification, 1982.
- Criminal investigation representative on Army Family Advocacy Program for Policy on Child Abuse and Child Sexual Abuse, 1985-1987.
- CID Delegate to Department of Defense Child Sexual Abuse Policy Development Conference, Alexandria, Virginia, 1985.
- CID forensic sciences representative on the Department of Defense Sexual Assault Determination Kit working group, 1985-1988.
- CID technical representative on the Department of Defense XM-11 9mm Compact Pistol working group, 1985-1991.
- Forensic advisor during revision and production of the Department of Defense Sexual Assault Determination Kit, 1988-1991.
- Author of script for, and technical supervisor during filming and editing of the training film for the Department of Defense Sexual Assault Determination Kit, Fort Gordon, Georgia, 1988-1990.
- U.S. Army CID technical representative during the Department of Defense XM-11 9mm Compact Pistol feasibility trials, Fort Benning, Georgia, and Fort McClellan, Alabama, 1990.
- Member of the Task Group for Setting National Standards in Sexual Assault Evidence Collection, Subcommittee E30.01 (Forensic Sciences - Criminalistics), American Society for Testing and Materials, 1993-1998.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- Identified renegade Army Captain in Stuttgart, Germany, committing armed robberies, dealing large quantities of drugs, and trafficking automatic weapons to Arab terrorists. Identified a right-wing extremist group at Fort Lewis, Washington, responsible for the theft of over 250,000 rounds of military ammunition and numerous weapons parts.
- Determined fire cause in fatal house fire on Fort Lewis, Washington, which state and county fire marshals were unable to identify. Located an accidental fire cause during an arson investigation in Hanau, Germany, which allowed recovery of over $1.4 million in U.S. Government funds and exonerated an innocent suspect.
- Used investigative hypnosis to identify a serial rapist in Washington State after a year-long multistate investigation which developed evidence and crime scenes throughout the Pacific Northwest and Midwest.
- As Special Agent-in-Charge of the CID office with the highest case load per Special Agent in Europe, received a perfect rating and commendation from the Inspector General, while maintaining a 92% personal solved rate on cases.
- At the U.S. Army Military Police School, devised a method of revising training materials which saved hundreds of man hours in development and thousands of dollars in materials.
- At CID Headquarters, devised and implemented a five year program to acquire and field over $6.5 million in investigative equipment. Revitalized CID's criminalistics program, creating forensic sciences and technical services programs to support CID worldwide.
- Developed initial Army requirements and specifications for a compact 9mm pistol, which was subsequently adopted by all military services as the M-11 Pistol.
- Spearheaded CID's program to develop sophisticated electronic surveillance capabilities worldwide. Designed specifications for and acquired over $2.5 million in electronic surveillance equipment. Conceptualized new techniques and equipment for the CID, many of which have been adopted by other Federal investigative agencies. According to CID Command's Deputy Commander, "...single handedly caused the Army to leap forward 20 years in its investigative equipment program.";
- Supported CID in high-visibility investigations worldwide by configuring and installing ultra sophisticated electronic surveillance equipment. Designed and supervised installation of the security systems used to protect the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the residence of the Secretary of Defense during Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
PROFESSIONAL PUBLICATIONS
- "Investigative and Forensic Hypnosis" The Detective (Official Journal of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command), Vol. 7, No. 3, Summer, 1979, pp. 14-20.
- "Investigative and Forensic Hypnosis" Military Police Journal, Vol. 7, No. 1, Spring, 1980, pp. 32-38.
- "The Pros and Cons of Investigative Hypnosis" in R. E. Scanlon (ed.), Law Enforcement Bible, No. 2, South Hackensack, NJ: Stoeger, 1982, pp. 152-161.
- "Military Police Respond to Victims of Sexual Assault" Military Police Journal, Vol 11, No. 4, Winter, 1984, pp. 8-9.
- "Rape Trauma Syndrome: The Overlooked Evidence in Rape Investigations" The Detective, Vol. 12, No. 1, Spring, 1985, pp. 1-4.
- "Understanding Behavior of the Rape Victim: Fear is the Key" The Detective, Vol. 12, No. 1, Spring, 1985, pp. 5-8.
- Senior author of Chapter 20 (Arson) in U.S. Army Field Manual 19-20, Law Enforcement Investigations, 1985.
- "Psychological Factors: The Overlooked Evidence in Rape Investigations" FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, Vol. 54, No. 4, April, 1985, pp. 8-15.
- "Investigating Intrafamilial Child Sexual Abuse" The Detective, Vol. 12, No. 4, Winter, 1985-86, pp. 3-8.
- "Compact 9mm Pistol Development" The Detective, Vol. 13, No. 2, Fall, 1986, pp. 10-16.
- Author of CID Pamphlet 190-53, Electronic Surveillance, 1988, 160 p.
- "Superglue [Fingerprint] Techniques" (with W. O. Jungbluth) The Detective, Vol. 16, No. 2, Summer/Fall, 1989, pp. 3-5, 24.
- "Obtaining Evidence from Computers" The Detective, Vol. 16, No. 2, Summer/Fall, 1989, pp. 20-21.
- "A Fatal Error: Disclosing Technology" The Detective, Vol. 17, No. 1, Spring, 1990, pp. 12-16.
- "Russian' Russian Roulette" The Detective, Vol. 18, No. 1, Spring/Summer, 1991, p. 15.
SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS
- "Memory Enhancement or Indetectable Perjury? The Uses and Abuses of Forensic Hypnosis" paper presented at the 38th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, New Orleans, Louisiana, February, 1986.
- "Psychological Evidence: The Overlooked Evidence in Rape Investigations" lecture presented at symposium, Sexual Assault: Today's Realities, Tomorrow's Hopes, sponsored by the Adam Walsh Child Resource Center, 1986.
- "Revision of the Department of Defense Sexual Assault Determination Kit" paper presented at the 40th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, February, 1988.
- "The Forensic Implications of the Death of Chemical Photography" paper presented at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Cincinnati, Ohio, February, 1990.
- "Death from Russian Roulette: Accident, Suicide, or Homicide?" (with G. Johnson, Ph.D.) paper presented at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Anaheim, California, February, 1991.
- "Detecting Deception Through Psycholinguistic Analysis: A Preliminary Report" paper presented at the 44th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, New Orleans, Louisiana, February, 1992.
- "Psycholinguistic Detection of a False Burglary/Assault Complaint" paper presented at the 44th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, New Orleans, Louisiana, February, 1992.
- "Sexual Assault Investigation -- A National Assessment" (with V. A. Red Hawk, MSN) paper presented at the 44th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, New Orleans, Louisiana, February, 1992.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
- Fellow, American Academy of Forensic Sciences.
- Charter Member, National Technical Investigator's Association.
- Charter Member, Ohio Association for Forensic and Investigative Hypnosis.
- Member, American Society for Testing and Material.
- Member, American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers