FBI Investigative Process

WITH MIKE KRENEK

Mike Krenek, retired FBI Special Agent, will lead us through the “investigative process,” or the approach experienced investigators take when conducting an investigation. Over the course of his career in law enforcement, he has found that most cases fall apart in court — not because of what investigators did, but what they failed to do. Having a systematic approach, or process, makes that less likely to happen. Successful investigators all have one, although they might not realize it, and the specific process may differ from person to person. Mike will discuss his.

Mike Krenek is a native of Chicago, Illinois. After graduating from Northern Illinois University with a BA in Sociology he served six years as a patrol officer and investigator with the Elmhurst, Illinois Police Department. One of the cases he investigated, the murder of Lorraine Borowski in 1982, was the subject of an episode of the television show On the Case with Paula Zahn in December of 2015. In 1984, Mr. Krenek entered on duty as a Special Agent of the FBI, where he served for 29 years and finished his career as the Senior Resident Agent in the FBI’s Sherman, TX office. He is a graduate of the FBI’s National Crisis Negotiation Course, its Instructor Development Course, and many other professional development courses. He served as both a counselor at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, and throughout the United States as a panel evaluator of applicants for the Special Agent position. He received his MS in Criminal Justice from the University of North Texas in 2012. Mr. Krenek retired from the FBI in 2013 and began a teaching career. He has served as an adjunct professor in the Criminal Justice Departments of UNT and Grayson College in Denison, TX. In August of 2016, he accepted a faculty appointment in the Criminal Justice Department at UNT, where he currently serves as a Lecturer and coordinator of the department’s internship program. His research interests include criminal investigation, aspects of behavioral science impacting the criminal justice system, ethical issues and factors contributing to wrongful convictions.