Election Investigations Guidebook order to train staff from these agencies on the electoral laws and regulations, the Electoral Tribunal’s procedures and electoral policies, as well as specific topics, such as independent candidacies, proportional representation, and political communication, among others. Mexico is a rare example of a state in which in-depth training is provided, however. Investigators often do not receive sufficient training to perform their tasks because such instruction is lacking at key points in the electoral process. Investigative bodies should provide ongoing training to enable investigators to understand the complexities of the legal and regulatory system that governs elections and to respond to the political contexts in which elections take place. Professionalism While competence in an election investigation context is a prerequisite for professionalism—requiring the formation of a corps of fully-trained electoral officials, investigators, and support staff336—it also envisages accountability measures and the development and implementation of standard operating procedures for investigations. To develop a professional investigative body, the state should separate the government’s role of setting policies, overseeing, and reviewing an investigative body from that body’s exercise of internal policy-making and operational management.337 The American Bar Association’s Standards for Prosecutorial Investigation emphasize sound but flexible internal policies within the investigative body that “reinforce standards of excellence, professionalism, and ethics.”338 Investigative bodies must ensure the effective management of the investigatory process by providing a clear chain of command and delineating roles and responsibilities. Election officials and supervisors should have the authority to make autonomous decisions, subject to review by legislative, executive, and judicial authorities.339 Elections Canada, for instance, provides a clear hierarchy for the control of investigations: “[T]he Chief Investigator is responsible for the planning, organization, execution, coordination, and 336 Orozco-Henríquez et al., supra note 101, at 27. 337 OSCE Guidebook for Democratic Policing, supra note 336, ¶ 113. 338 ABA Standards for Prosecutorial Investigations, supra note 82, § 2.15(c)(iv). 339 OSCE Guidebook for Democratic Policing, supra note 336, ¶ 114. 104