![]() In today’s environment, you would probably be well-advised to have audio/video recording throughout the interview. It should have no wall hangings or artwork that the suspect may concentrate on during the inquiry. Notwithstanding, I will refresh your memory on some of these rudimentary points in the interest of being thorough.Ī room used to interview a suspect should be void of as many distractions as possible: it should be austere, preferably without windows, and give the suspect little to focus on. I am quite certain that most of you will have heard some of this from basic training. In a suspect interview, however, the rules change. It is a good example of what I call “Elements of a Crime for Dummies” because those instructions are designed to communicate to a group of laypeople what they must identify in the evidence in order to convict.Ĭlearly, the more elements you are able to hit on when conducting your interviews, the more likely you are to convince the prosecutor, a jury and a judge that a statutory violation occurred and that your defendant violated it. A favorite practice of mine is to look up or acquire a copy of the jury instructions for the particular crime I am investigating. Many investigators dance around the core issues for far too long it is important to ask direct and probing questions that establish the elements of the crime. The key to a successful witness interview is to ensure minimal contact between the witness and other civilians who may influence the person’s recollection of events and to extract as much information about the incident or offense under investigation as possible. In a witness interview, the investigator can be more rigid in the Q&A because you want to maintain control of the dialogue and avoid wandering off-topic, which an excited civilian who has just witnessed a traumatic or frightening event may naturally tend to do. KEEP WITNESS INTERVIEWS ON-TOPIC AND DIRECT In order to soften that misconception, I am more inclined to use terms like witness or suspect interview. To a civilian, the word likely conjures up visions of hot lights and a smoke-filled room with an inquisitive and accusatory man angrily hovering over the suspect. Therefore, when testifying in front of a jury or in a deposition, I tend to avoid using it. ![]() Over the years, largely as a result of how it has been portrayed in television shows and cinema, the word “interrogation” has developed a negative connotation. ![]() ![]() Lamentably, the banality of this technique has rendered it somewhat archaic and rather ineffective. The “good cop/bad cop” routine was originally designed to allow one of the two investigators to create a bond with the suspect or subject by distinction. This, as a police interrogator, is the first hurdle you have to overcome. (Getty Images)īuilding rapport with the person you are interviewing is a key factor in keeping them talking and in inducing trust human nature is such that a person is more likely to be open and honest with someone they view as a kindred spirit as opposed to someone they view as an adversary. The key to success is to find ways of keeping your subject talking…about anything.
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