Mike Milnor

Biography

Mike served in law enforcement for over 34 years, most recently as the Police Chief of Altavista, Virginia. Throughout his extensive career, he held various positions, including Interim Sheriff, Director of Public Safety, Coordinator of a multi-jurisdictional task force with the FBI and Virginia State Police, Senior Supervisory Investigator, Undercover Narcotics Agent, Polygraph Examiner, and Uniformed Deputy Sheriff. Many of his executive appointments occurred after the agency faced scandals or crises, but Mike’s exceptional leadership skills enabled him to guide these organizations back to healthy and productive environments.

In addition to being involved in thousands of investigations, Mike has developed and taught numerous national courses in criminal justice, focusing on topics such as sexual assault, child abuse, elder abuse, domestic violence, and interview and interrogation methods. He is one of the lead developers of Empathy-Based Interrogation, a research-backed approach to interviewing and interrogation that he has taught nationwide.

Mike has served as a residential Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Liberty University and has lectured to thousands of professionals across Virginia and the United States. He co-authored and contributed to the development of Virginia’s Model Law Enforcement Policies and Protocols on Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence and Stalking, and Child Death Investigation. In 2016, he was appointed to the core faculty of the National Center for Campus Public Safety, where he instructed at colleges and universities across the country on topics including sexual assault investigation, Title IX and Clery Act compliance, campus violence, and trauma-informed victim interviews. He was also a member of the End Violence Against Women (EVAWI) Cadre of Experts.

Mike is married to his wonderful wife, Penni, and they have two exceptional adult children and their spouses. He takes great pride in his three beautiful grandchildren: Grayson, Cadie, and Hunter.