Expert Witness: Domestic Violence, Child Abuse & Law Enforcement Policies
Rachael Frost is a nationally recognized expert witness with 20 years of law enforcement experience, specializing in abuse investigations, law enforcement policies and procedures, and unlawful death cases. Based in Murrieta, CA — serving attorneys and courts nationwide.
Experience. Integrity. Professionalism.
With twenty years of law enforcement experience specializing in intimate partner abuse, sexual assault, stalking, strangulation, child abuse, restraining orders, and threat, I bring direct, hands-on expertise that courts demand from a qualified expert witness.
I served as a top-step criminal investigator and Internal Affairs investigator and trainer for a large Sheriff's department in Riverside County, California. I also developed multi-agency abuse response programs, securing more than $3.8 million in federal grant funding through the Office of Violence Against Women.
Since retiring from law enforcement in 2019, I have operated my own company, Frost ICED, providing expert witness testimony, litigation support, program development, and education to attorneys, agencies, and organizations across the nation.
Attorneys also retain me specifically to evaluate and explain police policies and procedures, law enforcement agency protocols, and whether officers acted within the scope of their training and sworn duties.
Do not leave your case to chance. I help explain the actions of those involved and use evidence-based information to show where they succeeded, or failed, to follow policy, procedures, or the law.
Get back to basics.
As an expert witness retained by attorneys in criminal, civil, and family law cases across the country, I address a wide range of abuse- and law enforcement-related issues. Here is what I can help with in your case:
Identifying and addressing dynamics and procedures for abuse and threat-related investigations, as well as identified victim and suspect behaviors (areas of expertise: domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, stalking, strangulation, restraining orders, threats, and harm to others)
Explaining dynamics of abuse specifically related to the case (coercive control, gaslighting, etc.)
Identifying and explaining law enforcement agency-specific policies, practices, and procedures, as well as researching and discussing pertinent local, State, and Federal laws and how they apply
Addressing police officer actions and conduct, evaluating police policies and procedures, and explaining law enforcement agency investigations, reports, and digital documentation
Evidence-based identification of criminal actions and supportive laws to address actions
Investigation reconstruction related to persons’ crimes and personnel investigations
Identifying areas of policy and program development and response across government agencies, and non-and for-profit agencies
Specialized Family Law case assistance programs for individuals (Ten-hour document and evidence review, identification of needed information, case recommendations, and directed assistance for involved parties)
Experience.
As a Master Investigator, I specialized in intimate partner physical and sexual abuse cases and related crimes, orders, procedures, and hearings. My direct experience in investigating and evaluating law enforcement personnel, procedures, and actions came from working within the Professional Standards Bureau’s Internal Affairs division where I handled a variety of allegations including domestic violence, child abuse, use of force, and more.
For more than a decade, I obtained and implemented Federal grants from the Office of Violence Against Women for the county of Riverside, California, creating threat and abuse response and investigation programs and procedures in partnership with government agencies, non-profits, and private enterprise. Through these programs, I trained thousands and created education programs focused on abuse, threat assessment, professional standard investigations, and more.
Upon retiring from law enforcement in 2019, I opened my own company, providing expert witness services, education, program and policy development and implementation, and community engagement and events to help normalize trauma for both victims of abuse and for first responders to include police, fire, medical, military, and emergency services. I also work as a staff member for the Training Institute for Strangulation Prevention and the Justice Legal Network, am a member of the Cadre of Experts for End Violence Against Women International, volunteer with the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals for Communications, and am the Chief Financial Officer for the non-profit Kids Court & Counseling Center. CV and training records available upon request.
“(Rachael) has developed a reputation as a mentor, and has continued to make herself available for phone calls to other professionals who desire additional information on workplace violence, etc. Her skills and perspectives are valuable and transcend to include bringing together several agencies to use a common language and develop a shared need from our local community to build a stronger team.”
— United States Air Force Division Services
Integrity.
As a two-time Distinguished Service Award winner, Officer of the Year, Unsung Hero Award, District Attorney and Family Justice Center performance award winner, and a dedicated volunteer for training and investigations across the nation related to abuse, I believe in the work I do. It is imperative that I remain unbiased and truthful, as well as thorough and dedicated. This is why I always recommend that experts be willing to work for either prosecution or defense, plaintiff or respondent. The truth remains the same and provides the opportunity for judges, juries, attorneys, and mediators to have complete information for your case. I not only review and evaluate actions and information in your case, but I research and provide the relevant local, state, and Federal laws and codes where applicable that apply with evidence-based information.
