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TM
A SCIENCE-BASED INTERVIEW
CURRICULUM DEVELOPED THROUGH
A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT
The site of our first iteration of the 5-Day course at the beginning of our research project. It was taught to detectives from multiple agencies in 2018.
Our humble beginning started back in 2015 through our outreach to U.S. researchers who were conducting grant funded work in science-based interview research sponsored by the U.S. Government. Our curiosity to learn about the research was encouraged by researchers who invited us to be involved in their projects. This evolved into a career changing passion to develop ethical science-based interview strategies, tactics, and training curriculum, that could be operationalized for investigators.
THE EVOLUTION OF EVOCAVI
2015
Introduced to the science-based interview research community by the former HIG Research Director, Susan Brandon Ph.D.
2016
Assisted in introducing Cognitive Interview training at the Tempe Police Department.
2016
Began collaborating with LAPD Major Crimes Supervisor, Mark Severino who was already pursuing science-based interview training for LAPD.
2016
Collaborated with researchers on the first HIG funded field validation of a five-day science-based interview training. Click this link for the research paper:
2018
Collaborated on a technical working group between Tempe PD, LAPD, and NYPD to discuss developing a new science-based interview curriculum for local law enforcement.
2018
Collaborated with researchers on a field validation study evaluating the benefits of a rapport-based approach to investigative interviews with law enforcement. Click this link for the research paper:
​2019
Collaborated with U.S. researchers, Melissa Russano PhD and Christian Meissner PhD, evaluating the effectiveness of a practitioner designed science-based Interview and interrogation course for U.S. law enforcement investigators. We also received valuable input from Susan Brandon PhD, Ron Fisher PhD, and Simon Oleszkiewicz PhD on the development of this course. This research project was recently submitted for publication.
2020
Assisted the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) in the development and training of a new science-based interview curriculum at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.
2020
Collaborated with researchers in the development and testing of the Proximity-Based Evidence Disclosure (PED) training protocol. Click this link for the research paper:
2020
EVOCAVI was founded by Detective Matthew Jones (ret.) and Melissa Russano PhD, and began training federal, state, and local law enforcement investigators on the five-day science-based interview curriculum developed from the 2018 research project.
2022
Collaborated with the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training technical working group and CAL-POST instructors to create a statewide science-based interview curriculum, and trained CAL-POST instructors with FBI Special Agent, Brian Hooton.
2022
Became an affiliate with the Iowa State University Applied Cognition Lab, and continue to collaborate on their science-based interviewing research projects.
2025
Became ​an affiliate with the University of California (Irvine) Adolescent and Childhood Experience ACE Lab.
OUR MISSION AT EVOCAVI
At EVOCAVI, our mission is to elevate the standards of investigative interview training and research. We are dedicated to empowering investigators with the knowledge and skills necessary to conduct more strategic and ethical interviews, ultimately contributing to the pursuit of justice and truth. Through our specialized training and commitment to continue to collaborate with the research and legal communities, we strive to enhance the integrity and effectiveness of investigative processes.
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Matthew Jones
Founder/President
EVOCAVI
Matthew Jones
EVOCAVI Founder/President
CBI Instructor
Detective Matt Jones (ret.) served twenty-one years across three different law enforcement agencies. He has completed investigative assignments in Patrol, Robbery, a Criminal Apprehension and Surveillance Team, as a task force officer with the U.S. Marshals' Violent Offender Fugitive Task Force, and Homicide. Matt has been collaborating with science-based interviewing researchers since 2015 and began participating in science-based interview training in 2016. In 2020, Matt founded EVOCAVI LLC, a for-profit company that provides training and consultancy in science-based interview techniques. EVOCAVI has delivered this training to local law enforcement agencies across the country, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI), the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Conviction Integrity Units, Corporate Security and Threat Mitigation Units. In 2018, Matt collaborated with U.S. researchers to develop and validate the first five-day science-based interview training course by a U.S. local law enforcement investigator and researchers. In 2022, Matt was the co-author of a two-year research project in the development of the Proximity-Based Evidence Disclosure (PED) training program. From 2020 to 2024, Matt served as a Police Interview Practices Expert on cases involving wrongful convictions. Matt is a former National Institute of Justice L.E.A.D.S Scholar and has an M.A. in Forensic Psychology.
EVOCAVI SCIENCE ADVISORS
The EVOCAVI Instructor team includes three science advisors with extensive experience and expertise in research and training involving science-based interviewing. We have been fortunate to have collaborated with our science advisors on several science-based interviewing research projects since 2016. Our science advisors not only assist us in translating research into practice, they also make sure that what we are teaching is maintaining fidelity to the research.
Christian Meissner Ph.D.
EVOCAVI Science Advisor, CBI Instructor
Christian Meissner holds a Ph.D. in Cognitive & Behavioral Science from Florida State University (2001). He conducts research on the psychological processes involved in developing rapport and trust, understanding resistance motivations, facilitating recollection, and assessing credibility in investigative interviews. Dr. Meissner has produced more than 140 publications and has received more than $20 million in research funding from agencies such as the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Departments of Defense, Justice, and Homeland Security, and the U.S. Intelligence Community. His scholarly and practice contributions have been recognized by such organizations such as the American Psychology-Law Society (Div. 41 of the American Psychological Association), the International Investigative Interviewing Research Group, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, and the Psychonomic Society. Dr. Meissner is currently Professor and Director of Graduate Education in the Department of Psychology at Iowa State University. From 2010-2012, he served as Director of the Law & Social Science Program at the National Science Foundation. He has also served on the faculty at Florida International University (2001-2005) and the University of Texas at El Paso (2005-2013) where he was Associate Vice President of Research. He is a Past-President of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition and is currently President of the American Psychology-Law Society (Division 41 of the American Psychological Association).
Simon Oleszkiewicz Ph.D.
EVOCAVI Science Advisor, CBI Instructor
Simon Oleszkiewicz holds a Ph.D. in Legal Psychology from the University of Gothenburg (2016) and completed post-doctorate studies at Iowa State University. He has worked as an assistant professor at the University of Twente and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. For the last thirteen years, Dr. Oleszkiewicz has conducted research exclusively into investigative interviewing and intelligence gathering. His work has been funded by the High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group (FBI) and the Centre for Research and Evidence on Security Threats (CREST). His list of peer-reviewed scientific publications includes studies on the Scharff technique, evidence disclosure, trust-building, and adaptability. In 2018, he received the Early Career Award of the European Association of Psychology and Law. Dr. Oleszkiewicz is very keen on the applied value of his work being utilized by practitioners in an operational context and has established training relationships with law enforcement and military professionals in a number of countries, including the US, the UK, the Scandinavian countries, the Netherlands, Belgium, and South Korea. In 2016, he was invited to observe the undercover training program at the Los Angeles Police Department, which inspired him to develop a new research area to examine the adaptability of covert law enforcement officers. From 2020 to 2023, he collaborated with Detective Matthew Jones (ret.) to develop and test the Proximity-Based Evidence Disclosure (PED) training program.
Jodi Quas Ph.D.
EVOCAVI Science Advisor, EFIT Instructor
Jodi Quas, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Irvine. She is recognized across the globe for her work on effective methods of questioning children and adolescents about violence exposure, abuse, and exploitation; and on the consequences of exposure to violence and legal involvement on youth. She has received numerous awards for her research, advocacy, and training, including the Early Career Contributions in Developmental Psychology from the American Psychological Association, and the Nicholas Hobbs Award for Career Contributions from the Society for Child and Family Policy and Practice. She is dedicated not only to pursuing rigorous science but also to disseminating findings to policy makers, practitioners, and other professionals, particularly those who encounter and need to question child and adolescent victims, witnesses, and even suspects. She collaborates with multidisciplinary teams comprised of law enforcement, legal professionals, educators, policy makers, and healthcare and social service professionals. Together, they provide much-needed evidence-based recommendations concerning how best to identify and intervene on behalf of youth exposed to harm and abuse and youth immersed in legal cases in juvenile, family, and criminal courts
EVOCAVI INSTRUCTORS
The EVOCAVI Instructor team includes five veteran investigators from local law enforcement and the military. Our instructors are expected to have an understanding of the science-based interview research that supports each technique we teach. We encourage all our instructors to participate in EVOCAVI research collaborations to understand the operational challenges researchers encounter in their studies. Our instructors thrive in connecting with investigators, and helping them to become highly skilled proactive interviewers.
Cindy Stull-Lozier
EVOCAVI CBI and EFIT Instructor
Detective Cynthia Stull-Lozier (ret.) is a recently retired Police Officer with Mesa PD, Mesa, Arizona where she served for over 22 years. She completed assignments in Patrol, Organized Crime, Criminal Intelligence and Special Victim’s Unit. Cindy completed science-based interviewing training back in 2018 and was able to implement this training in her investigational interviews in the SVU unit. Cindy has a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology/Administration of Criminal Justice from the University of Wyoming.
Daniella Morreale-Prickett
EVOCAVI CBI and EFIT Instructor
Detective Daniella Prickett-Morreale (ret.) was born and raised in Southern California. Following a childhood-long dream of working in law enforcement, she began work as a police officer in a suburb of Los Angeles County, CA. After her time as a patrol officer, she was promoted to a Detective working in Juvenile Crimes and ultimately as a Senior Sex Crimes Detective. In this role, Daniella excelled in communicating with victims and suspects. This led to her enthusiasm for teaching interview techniques to law enforcement personnel which she has remained committed to for the last 10+ years. Toward the end of her law enforcement career, she returned to patrol as a field training officer to share her expertise with new officers. Daniella later moved to the State of Utah where she continued her passion for investigations and was quickly promoted to Investigations Manager in her new Division. Today, Daniella continues her work in investigations on the East Coast and teaches interview techniques to all realms of investigative personnel.
Danielle Vizzone-Bierwirth
EVOCAVI CBI and EFIT Instructor
EFIT Course Developer
Danielle Vizzone-Bierwirth served as a commissioned officer and Special Agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI). Danielle completed assignments as a Violent Crimes Specialist, Child Forensic Interviewer, Counterintelligence/Counterterrorism Collector, Operations Officer, and an IG wing-level Inspector. Danielle displayed her passion for investigative interviewing techniques as part of a specialized team where she played a pivotal role in developing curriculum, conducting research, and delivering advanced training on investigative interviewing methods to Special Agents across AFOSI. Danielle holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from The University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Science in Forensic Psychology from Grand Canyon University. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Psychology with an emphasis on Forensic Psychology.
Jorge Ramirez
EVOCAVI CBI and EFIT Instructor
Jorge Ramirez retired from law enforcement after a 29-year career. He spent the first half of his career with the Hollister Police Department, achieving the rank of sergeant. He then transferred to the Monterey County District Attorney's Office for the remainder of his career. Jorge worked as a District Attorney Investigator and later promoted to the rank of Captain. He was a captain for five years prior to his retirement. As a Captain for the District Attorney, Jorge commanded every unit in the criminal and civil divisions. Jorge holds a Master’s Degree in Administration of Justice with a minor in Security. Jorge has been teaching law enforcement advanced courses since 2017. He has taught numerous topics around the State of California and in Nevada. Jorge is a Master Instructor for California Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST.) As a Master Instructor, Jorge writes and evaluates curriculum for POST as well as evaluates new instructors in the classroom. In 2021, Jorge was selected by POST for the prestigious Excellence in Training - Individual Achievement award. Jorge was nominated, along with others from around the State and was selected for his work in training California law enforcement. Jorge was brought in as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for POST in the area of Interview & Interrogation. When the State of California was transitioning to Science Based Interviewing (SBI) Jorge was called upon to help develop the curriculum that would be used statewide to train newly assigned investigators. Jorge is also one of the instructors who first started teaching SBI to California law enforcement. He also trained new instructors and new coaches. In 2024, Jorge attended the FBI High Value Detainee Interrogation Group (HIG) Science Based Interviewing Core Course in Fairfax, Virginia. Jorge is one of very few California law enforcement officers to have ever attended the HIG Course. Jorge has also spoken at California conferences and symposiums about SBI.