Erik Baum — Instructor Profile

About Erik Baum

Erik R. Baum was hired by the Bergen County New Jersey Prosecutor’s Office in 1988 and after completing over twenty-five years of service, retired as a Lieutenant with the Prosecutor’s Office. Before his retirement, Erik was the Lieutenant in charge of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit (formerly the Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit) and the Coordinator for Bergen Counties CART (Child Abduction Response Team.) He was also the primary Polygraph Examiner for the Prosecutor’s Office. Prior to that assignment, Erik served as the Commanding Officer of the Bergen County Narcotic Task Force.

Erik began his law enforcement career in the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office as an Investigator assigned to the Narcotic Task Force. Erik Baum served in several investigative units within the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office during his career: Bergen County Narcotic Task Force(including on-loan assignment with the United States Customs Service Financial Crimes/Money Laundering Unit), Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit, Fugitive Squad, Supervisor of the Bergen County Multi-Agency Resource Sharing Unit (Countywide street crimes unit), Commanding Officer of the Narcotic Task Force and Supervisor in Charge of the Special Victims Unit. Erik was also a graduate of the West Point Command and Leadership Program and was the recipient of the Chief Harry Wilde Academic Chief Award for excellence.

Erik Baum is also a certified polygraph examiner having attended the Texas Department of Law and Public Safety Law Enforcement Polygraph School in Austin, Texas and the Federal Bureau of Investigations Advanced Polygraph Training Class in Quantico, VA. As a polygraph examiner, Erik has conducted several hundred criminal issue polygraph examinations for local police departments and investigative squads within the Prosecutor’s Office and other law enforcement agencies. His polygraph examinations included cases involving such crimes as theft, fraud, burglary, robbery, arson, sexual assault, child sexual assault, physical child abuse, fatal accidents, and homicides. He was a member of the American Association of Police Polygraphists, American Polygraph Association and New Jersey Polygraphists, Inc.

Erik Baum attended numerous training courses on Interview and Interrogation at the start of his career and maintained continuing education on the subject throughout the entirety of his career and into his retirement. Erik has been certified as a police instructor in the State of New Jersey by the New Jersey Police Training Commission and up to the point of his retirement, was the primary instructor for Interview and Interrogation to both new police recruits as well as seasoned police detectives and officers at the Bergen County Law and Public Safety Institute. Erik has also instructed Interview and Interrogation to other various police agencies throughout the State of New Jersey.

Due to his recognition by Bergen County Law Enforcement for his interviewing/interrogating skills, Erik was frequently called upon to assist in complex investigations requiring his abilities in interviewing and interrogation which has resulted in numerous confessions of individuals interrogated by Erik Baum during criminal investigations.

Erik Baum is a nationally recognized instructor in Interview and Interrogation, Police Response to Adult and Child Sexual Assault, and Physical Child Abuse investigations. He serves as the primary instructor for the Interview and Interrogation and Miranda Rights block at the New Jersey Top Gun Training seminars.

Erik Baum has received several Meritorious Service Awards and Letters of Recognition including New York/New Jersey Detective of the Month for the solo apprehension of a subject pursued for attempted murder of a police officer, eluding police in multi-jurisdictional vehicular pursuit and attempted carjacking.