Bringing CFE Expertise to Afghanistan
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MEMBER PROFILE
David Crump, CFE, Law Enforcement Professional
Engility Corp
David Crump, CFE, is currently working in Afghanistan for Engility Corp. as a law enforcement professional assigned to a U.S. Army battalion. His job is to advise, mentor and train U.S. soldiers and leaders in law enforcement, evidence handling and collection, and rule of law. Crump also mentors and trains leaders and investigators from Afghan law enforcement agencies on investigation techniques, processing of evidence and detainee operations.
Please tell us about your background in law enforcement. How has your career grown?
I always wanted to be a police officer. After three years in the Army and then college, I joined the Wichita (Kansas) Police Department, where I served for 20 years. I liked being a police officer, and I loved being a detective. As a detective, I spent two years in undercover narcotics, two years in the robbery section and four years in the exploited and missing child unit.
I retired as a detective in 2011 and moved to Kansas City, where I worked in the marketing department of a large corporation. I got to travel a lot and loved it, but I missed law enforcement. When the job in Afghanistan became available, I eagerly accepted it. It has been a great honor to be here with the military. I have been able to use my training and experience to help keep our soldiers safe and help the Afghan police forces improve their rule of law and investigation skills.
How often does your job involve fraud investigation – and what types of fraud are you most likely to investigate?
I deal with bribery and corruption investigations on a regular basis here. It is no secret that corruption is rampant in just about every aspect of Afghanistan politics, business and life in general. Bribery and corruption are technically illegal here, but are extremely common nonetheless. I work with some of the Afghan law enforcement authorities who try to fight this activity.
Which types of cases are the most interesting to you, personally? Did a certain type of investigation really draw you in?
Early in my career, I ran away from financial crimes cases as fast as I could; until I realized that practically every type of crime has a financial motivator as a common factor (child sex abuse is usually an exception). When I worked in the undercover narcotics section, I became fascinated with the ingenuity of drug dealers to hide and launder their money. Whether the crime is forgery, embezzlement, robbery or drug dealing, there is usually some sort of financial motivation involved. I have always enjoyed following the money trail and documenting the benefits received from the criminal activity. This information always makes for a better case to present for prosecution.
Which types of criminal cases do you find the most challenging?
The most challenging cases, but also the most rewarding, were child sexual abuse cases. In addition to interviewing suspects and witnesses, I specialized in conducting forensic interviews with the child victims. The most enjoyable part of my investigations, though, has always been the suspect interviews. Whether I am interviewing a suspect in a financial crime, a bank robber, a terrorist or a rapist, the objective of the interview is always the same: To find out the truth. Each interview is different. Every suspect doesn’t always turn out to be guilty and you don’t always get a confession from the ones who are, but going into an interview and getting a confession from a suspect is always extremely satisfying.