Christina Petricca and Sarah Tobias Presenting at the 2026 CalGovHR Conference & Expo™
Title: Skillfully Navigating Public Safety Employee Investigation Interviews
Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Program: 2:45pm
VM Partner Christina Petricca and Senior Attorney Investigators Sarah Tobias will present at the 2026 CalGovHR Conference & Expo™ in a session addressing the unique considerations involved in investigating public safety employees.
Titled “Skillfully Navigating Public Safety Employee Investigation Interviews,” the session will explore the specialized legal, workplace, and cultural considerations investigators must understand when conducting investigative interviews with public safety personnel.
The 2026 CalGovHR Conference & Expo™ will take place September 23–25, 2026, bringing together public sector HR professionals for legal updates, educational sessions, networking, and professional development.
About the Session:
Interviewing public safety employees involves unique aspects every investigator must be aware of and factor into their standard interview practices. Public safety employee interviews raise important questions such as:
How much information must we include in a Respondent Notice of Interview?
How do we work effectively with a union representative or legal counsel to ensure it is a productive interview?
What do we need to know about the unique nature of public safety work environments in order to understand and analyze what is happening in the workplace?
This session will first provide attendees with a foundation for understanding the requirements of the Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights of Act (POBR) and the Firefighters Procedural Bill of Rights Act (FBOR) as they apply to investigative interviews. This session will also explore how to navigate the presence of a union representative or legal counsel and will provide tips for investigators to develop positive, collaborative, and even beneficial relationships with these representatives. Further, this session will provide insight into the unique work environments of public safety employees. It is essential for investigators to understand how facing life and death situations together daily, regularly eating meals together and living together, and having a work family that is just as important as their personal family collectively affects public safety employees’ participation in investigative interviews.
Following this session, participants will couple their hard-earned investigative interview prowess with a foundation in POBR and FOBR interview requirements. Participants will also have tools for achieving productive interviews through successful collaboration with employee representatives. Finally, participants will have a better understanding of the unique nature of public safety employees’ workplace culture that will inform and improve their questions and interview strategies.
Christina Petricca is a Partner with Van Dermyden Makus Law Corporation’s Bay Area Office. Christina specializes in conducting investigations for public entities, with a focus on public safety. Christina’s experience prior to joining Van Dermyden Makus included working as an attorney representing public sector employees, including peace officers, correctional officers, and fire personnel. Christina also represented employees in disciplinary matters (including Skelly hearings and arbitration). As part of her prior practice, Christina also represented unions in unfair labor practice charges before the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB.)
Sarah Tobias is a Senior Attorney Investigator of Van Dermyden Makus Law Corporation’s Sacramento Office. Sarah has extensive experience investigating allegations made against public safety employees. Prior to focusing her practice on workplace investigations, Sarah represented public safety employees, including peace officers, correctional supervisors, and fire personnel. She represented these employees throughout the disciplinary process, including Skelly Hearings, State Personnel Board Hearings, and arbitrations.
