Kerry Watkins

Kerry is an academic and teacher whose primary interest is in criminal investigations. He is former award-winning criminal investigator and trainer. He conducted more than two thousand interviews during his 30-year career as an investigator, in which the majority of his time was spent in specialized units investigating a wide range of matters including police corruption, corporate fraud and homicide. He has studied interviewing in North America, the United Kingdom and Europe. He was the principal interviewing instructor, course designer and subject matter expert at the Toronto Police College from 2012 to 2018, where he developed, introduced, and taught innovative interview training courses to hundreds of new and experienced investigators. In 2017, he was granted the Chief of Police Award of Excellence for his contribution to interviewing education and practice in Canada.

Kerry is primary author of the texts Interviewing and Investigation, 4th Edition (2022), and Evidence and Investigation, 2nd Edition (2019). He has also published on investigative issues in books, journals, and magazines. His work has been cited by academics and legal authorities including the Supreme Court of Canada. Kerry’s education includes a bachelor’s degree in psychology and criminology and a master’s degree in criminology both from the University of Toronto. He also holds a Master of Laws degree in criminal law and procedure from Osgoode Hall Law School, where he is currently a doctoral candidate studying the relationship between social science research on interrogation and the Supreme Court’s confessions doctrine. Kerry is a professor at Humber College in Toronto and director of The Interview Group Inc., a private consulting firm which provides investigative interviewing skills training and support to organizations in both the public and private sectors. He is a frequent participant in continuing education events and conferences for investigative and legal professionals and has provided expert commentary on investigative interviewing issues for major media outlets.