Robert P Woolverton, MSML
Retired Police Captain with 34 years of command-level experience at the City of Bothell, WA, Police Department, including 27 years on Command Staff. Graduate of the FBI National Academy (Session 183, Quantico). Expert witness in federal civil rights litigation under 42 U.S.C. § 1983: Monell doctrine claims, excessive force, false arrest, First Amendment retaliatory arrest, vehicle pursuits, crisis response and involuntary psychiatric detention, and systemic supervisory failures. Prepares Rule 26(a)(2)(B) expert disclosures and provides deposition and trial testimony.
The rules governing police conduct are built in layers: statutes and case law, state training standards, national model policy from bodies like the IACP and the Department of Justice, and the department's own written manual. My reports lay an incident against that structure and document precisely where the conduct departed from it. Every conclusion is tied to an authority and verified against the record: quotations checked against source recordings, record citations checked against the Bates-stamped page. I am independent by practice: I deliver a finished report and take no content input from the retaining party. I don't second-guess split-second tactical decisions. I examine the institutional conditions that made them necessary.
Available nationwide. A fully redacted sample report and a free 166-item Discovery Request Menu for police misconduct litigation are available at policemisconductpro.com.
- 1983 Litigation
- Crime Foreseeability
- Deadly/Excessive Force
- Law Enforcement
- Police Procedures
- Wrongful Death
- Q: Please list your professional accreditations, degrees, licenses, and certificates granted:
- A: Master of Science, Management & Leadership (MSML) — Western Governors University, 2016
Bachelor of Science, Management & Leadership — Bluefield University, 2014 (President's List)
FBI National Academy Graduate — Session 183, Quantico, Virginia, 1995
Northwest Law Enforcement Executive Command College — Command College Course of Study, 1992
Peace Officer Certification — Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC), 1984
Supervisory Certification — CJTC, 1994
Middle Management Certification — CJTC, 1994
Certified Leadership Instructor — Washington State CJTC - Q: Please list your affiliations or memberships in any professional and/or industry organizations:
- A: FBI National Academy Associates
National Speakers Association (NSA) — Member; served on Board of Directors, NSA Northwest Chapter (2023–2024)
Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE) — Contributing Author
Toastmasters International — Multiple local and regional speaking awards - Q: Please list any teaching or speaking experience you have had, including subject matter:
- A: Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission — Contract Leadership Instructor, 12 years. Taught the 40-hour Middle Management certification course (five times per year) and Middle Managers and Executives at the state police academy. Trained more than 1,800 managers and executives in law enforcement leadership, ethical decision-making, supervisory practices, and strategic planning.
Top Tier Leadership Training — Leadership keynote speaker and trainer (2019–2025). Delivered executive leadership keynotes and workshops for law enforcement agencies, government organizations, and private-sector companies nationwide and internationally.
CEOtoCEO Leadership Conferences — Keynote presenter on leadership and organizational culture.
Guest appearances on leadership podcasts across the United States and internationally, including India. - Q: Have any of your accreditations ever been investigated, suspended or removed? (if yes, explain)
- A: No.
- Q: On how many occasions have you been retained as an expert?
- A: Seven.
- Q: For what area(s) of expertise have you been retained as an expert?
- A: Police misconduct and police practices under 42 U.S.C. § 1983: Monell doctrine claims (policy, custom, training, and supervision), excessive force and use-of-force policy failures, false arrest and probable cause, First Amendment retaliatory arrest, fatal vehicle pursuits, use of force involving a minor, involuntary psychiatric detention arising from crisis co-response, and command-level accountability and systemic failure documentation, including accreditation standards (CALEA) measured against internal practice.
- Q: In what percentage of your cases were you retained by the plaintiff?
- A: 100%
- Q: In what percentage of your cases were you retained by the defendant?
- A: 0%
- Q: On how many occasions have you had your deposition taken?
- A: None to date.
- Q: On how many occasions have you been qualified by a court to give expert testimony?
- A: None to date.
- Q: On how many occasions have you testified as an expert in court or before an arbitrator?
- A: None to date.
- Q: For how many years have you worked with the legal industry as an expert?
- A: Approximately 4 years (expert witness practice established following 34-year law enforcement career)
- Q: What services do you offer? (E.g.: consulting, testing, reports, site inspections etc.)
- A: Expert witness services for plaintiff-side civil rights attorneys in police misconduct, excessive force, false arrest, and supervisory failure cases. Services include:
Case evaluation and early consultation
Rule 26(a)(2)(B) expert report preparation
Initial case reviews and supplemental statements as discovery develops
Pattern-or-practice and Monell custom-and-practice analysis
Use-of-force, pursuit, and crisis-response policy review and analysis
Supervisory and training failure documentation
Discovery planning support, including a tiered checklist of records to request
Deposition preparation support
Deposition and trial testimony. Available at any stage of litigation, from early case evaluation through trial. - Q: What is your hourly rate to consult with an attorney?
- A: The first one-hour consultation is free. Report work is a flat fee, quoted up front before the engagement begins, inclusive of case review calls and post-report discussion. There is no open-ended hourly exposure while I prepare the report. Deposition and trial testimony are billed separately and set out in the professional services agreement. Contact me for a current quote.
- Q: What is your hourly rate to review documents?
- A: Included in the flat report fee.
- Q: What is your hourly rate to provide deposition testimony?
- A: Quoted in the professional services agreement.
- Q: What is your hourly rate to provide testimony at trial?
- A: Quoted in the professional services agreement.
- Q: Please list any fees other than those stated above (E.g.: travel expenses, copy fees, etc.)
- A: Travel expenses billed at cost (airfare, lodging, ground transportation) for cases requiring travel outside a 60-mile radius of Seattle.
A retainer is required prior to commencement of work.
A fully redacted sample report and a free 166-item Discovery Request Menu are available at policemisconductpro.com.