How to Conduct a Police Interview
Interviewing witnesses and suspects is a crucial part of a criminal investigation, the purpose of which is to get information. Effective police work involves getting complete and accurate eyewitness accounts, as these can be convincing forms of evidence. In addition to gathering and corroborating the facts, police investigators also must get the proof or confessions they need. There are a number of techniques for conducting a successful police interview.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Explain the reason for the interview before you begin. Work on building a rapport with the person being interviewed. You want the person to like you, so you must give him a reason to confide in you. Also, take steps to make the person feel comfortable. Interviewees are more likely to volunteer information when they do not feel frightened or intimidated.
-
2
Refrain from using unethical means to get a confession. Do not make threats or promises, or use coercive actions to obtain confessions. In order not to appear confrontational, seating should be arranged so that the interviewer and interviewee are sitting at the 10 and 2 o'clock positions, rather than face to face.
-
-
3
Ask open-ended questions. Open-ended questions are not always phrased like questions, but rather as statements that require a response. Instead of leading a suspect or witness, an open-ended question is intended to encourage answers based on what the person knows. The objective is to get witnesses or suspects to volunteer information. If you do phrase a question, begin with a word such as "what."
-
4
Listen to what is being said and clarify any inconsistencies. Even the most trivial information could be important. Make eye contact throughout the interview to establish credibility. Videotape the interview to maintain the integrity of the investigation. Take notes while interviewing the witness or suspect, or have another interviewer in an adjacent room take notes.
-
5
Avoid embarrassing the person being interviewed. Be patient and supportive throughout the interview. Do not interrupt the person being interviewed when he is speaking. Let him tell his story. Ask only one question at a time and wait for each answer.
-
6
Employ suggestive techniques to help a witness recall information from memory. Sometimes memory can be jogged with clues about the personal characteristics or clothing a suspect was wearing.
-
7
Use accusatory questioning to help determine whether a person is telling the truth or lying. An innocent person tends to be direct with answers; someone who is lying might be evasive. Innocent people usually feel confident that an investigation will clear them; a guilty suspect may try to divert the interviewer from the actual questions being asked.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Read the person's body language during the interview. Nonverbal cues may help to confirm or contradict what is being said. Look for signs of anxiety when a person is answering questions.
