Interviews

What is an interested V/W?

1. A friend/relative of V 2. Or someone who might benefit from crime and exaggerate facts.

What are the techniques to interview vulnerable V/W?

1. Allow video recording. 2. Separate witness from suspect.

What are factors that affect perception?

1. Light, distance, and length of viewing 2. "Weapons focus" phenomenon. 3. Race. 4. Stress.

What is the sequence of a victim/witness interview?

1. Preparation and planning 2. Engage and explain 3. Account clarification and challenge 4. Closure 5. Evaluation

When do you use facial composites?

When there is no suspect.

What are some examples of written statements?

1. Transcription of question/answer session. 2. Written by the V/W.

What should note taking officer do?

Take extensive notes and be prepared to ask additional questions. Carry a list of issues that should be asked and resolved (appropriate but not recommended).

What are indicators of heightened stress and lead you to a suspect?

1. Appropriateness of story 2. Emotional 3. Corrections 4. Pronouns 5. Main issue 6. Hand gestures 7. Sensory 8. Liars lie visually, talking about what they saw.

As an interviewer what must you have a good understanding of?

1. Basic rules of questioning. 2. Types of questions that are useful. 3. Management of the information received. 4. Questions that are unsuitable.

What are the techniques to interviewing a hostile V/W?

1. Begin with close ended questions 2. Slowing work on opening up with the V/W through expressing empathy 3. Affirming what they told you. 4. Provide information that they want to know. 5. Keep questions at the tip of tongue to avoid V/W from asking when the interview will happen or what it is about.

How to do show-ups

1. Determine if it is necessary. 2. Can it be done close to the crime in both time and space? 3. Is not as reliable. 4. They may not show up. 5. obtain the best verbal description of suspect. 6. Minimize suggestiveness. 7. Instruct the eyewitness that it may or may not be perpetrator.

During the V/W's narrative account what should you do?

1. Do not interrupt 2. Allow pauses 3. Use active listening 4. Use open-ended questions

What are the general principles of memory?

1. Don't capture exact images in our memories. 2. The brain rebuilds the memory of a witnessed event. 3. Eyewitnesses can be led to remember things the didn't actually see.

What is the aim of closure?

1. Ensure mutual understanding. 2. Verify all aspects have been sufficiently covered. 3. Explain what will happen in the future. 4. Facilitate positive attitude towards providing accurate and reliable information. Leave lines of communication open.

What happens after you close the interview?

1. Examine whether the aims and objectives for the interview were achieved. 2. Review the investigation in light of the information obtained. 3. Reflect on how well you conducted the interview and what improvements could be made.

What should you do at the initial interview?

1. Focus on keeping actual memory separate from other sources of information. 2. Avoid questions that suggest something specific. 3. Avoid giving positive feedback to witness. 4. Keep witnesses from discussing incident with each other.

What are the common types of victims?

1. Friendly 2. Neutral 3. Interested 4. Hostile 5. Child 6. Vulnerable 7. Traumatized

What are techniques to use when interviewing friendly V/W?

1. Funnel approach 2. Get a narrative that allows them to tell you what they know in their own words. 3. Don't interrupt and take mental notes about issues you want clarified. 4. Ask open ended questions. 5. Follow up with questions that will clarify specific points or seek additional detail. 6. May ask person to give you another narrative but from a different perspective (chronologically, another's perspective if others were present). 7. Repeat back information. 8. Ask about other witnesses/evidence.

What are the characteristics of a good interviewer?

1. Inquisitive 2. Observant 3. Energetic 4. Ability 5. Problem solver 6. Patient

What do you want to do during the engage and explain phase?

1. Introduce yourself and overcome stereotypes. 2. Encourage V/W to take active role in recalling information rather than just responding 3. Set the tone. 4. Take time to explain what is going to happen and what you need from V/W.

What are non-productive questions?

1. Leading 2. Closed - inappropriate 3. Multiple 4. Misleading / inaccurate 5. Hypothetical 6. Non-neutral / judgmental 7. Negative (i.e. "you don't know his name, do you?") 8. Double negatives (i.e. "you don't know that he was not there do you?") 9. Complex 10. Too long 11. Force choice 12. Multiple concepts 13. Accusatory 14. Assumptive (based on what the interviewer thinks) 15. Repetitive - inappropriate 16. Parameter setting - inappropriate 17. Sarcastic / ironic 18. Sub questions (hooked on to the main question) 19. Tag question ("you did see the gun, didn't you?)

What do you do to accomplish the goals in engage and explain phase?

1. Minimize the V/W anxiety and establish and maintain rapport. 2. Convey that their information is important. 3. Address them by name. 4. Explain the interview process and expectations.

What should good/productive questions have?

1. Open 2. Probing 3. Echo probing 4. Closed - appropriate 5. Clarifying 6. Reinforcing 7. Summarizing 8. Repetitive - appropriate 9. Linking 10. Parameter setting - appropriate 11. Neutral / Non-judgmental 12. Reflective 13. Trailer 14. Short/concise 15. Logical 16. Singular

What are the important investigative questions?

1. Person being interviewed must be given opportunity to provide whatever information they have. 2. Questions are likely to be leading, they contain information that the person may or may not already have.

What else needs to happen at the closure phase of interview?

1. Review your notes and other materials. 2. Ask the V/W "is there is anything else I should have asked you?" 3. Close the interview.

How to do photo arrays and live lineups

1. Select non-suspect fillers. 2. Use a "double-blind" procedure. 3. Show one at a time. 4. Tell witness that the suspect may or may not be present. 5. Assess eyewitness confidence. 6. Avoid multiple identification procedure.

What are the techniques to interview traumatized victims?

1. Take your time, and do not increase their anxiety or fear. 2. Do not try to be a therapist. 3. Act in a manner that may be therapeutic. 4. Spread out the interview in more than one session. 5. May not be in the best interests to encourage them to relive the event. 6. Delay interview until excitement or terror of incident has subsided.

How to use facial composites

1. Use cautiously 2. Can taint eyewitness's memory 3. Use a double-blind procedure

When should close ended questions be asked?

1. Used for a precise answer: yes or no 2. Establish dollar amounts, dates, times, and locations.

What are the basic rules for questioning?

1. Vocabulary 2. Relevance 3. Pace 4. Interruptions 5. Control

What are factors to consider when evaluating the witness statement?

1. Who are they? 2. What is their relationship to the offender/victim? 3. Are they cooperative, hostile, or reluctant? 4. Do they have a reason to lie?

What are some techniques to interview neutral V/W?

1. Win them over 2. Understand what will motivate the V/W to get involved. 3. Charm them into talking to you. 4. Assure that their involvement will reduce more intrusive involvement later.

What are the 2 dangers of interviewing friendly V/W?

1. You may let your guard down and not adequately prepare for the interview 2. You may have misread the person and they're not actually friendly.

What should you do after rapport is established?

Ask a question and listen fully to the answer. Ask it again, slightly rephrased, or ask them to repeat the answer more slowly in order to write it down. Ensure that you hear the full narrative answer before writing anything down.

What are other methods of documentation?

Audio, audio visual recordings and written statements by V/W.

What is double-blind procedure?

Both the witness and person making composite are unaware of external information about the case.

When in contact with V/W, what is the first step?

Building rapport.

How do you approach sensitive questions?

Carefully and do not react to statements. Do not express shock, disgust or similar emotions.

What are open ended questions?

Encourage people to give longer answers.

What is the goal of the preliminary investigation at the scene?

Find out what happened.

What should the lead interviewer do?

Focus on the responses, and maintain eye contact to better assess the verbal and non-verbal responses.

What is a vulnerable V/W?

Has particular difficulties. Children, mentally ill, learning disabilities, physical/communicative disabilities, rape victims.

What should you not do when in contact with V/W?

Immediately start writing down whatever is said.

What should you ask the V/W to do with the written statement?

Initial each page and sign, affirming it was given voluntarily.

How should you handle the interview if there is a second officer with you?

One is the lead interviewer and the other is the note taker.

What are probing questions?

Questions that start with what, when, where, why, who, how, how much.

What are the first questions you ask a V/W?

Should clarify who they are and how they are related to the incident.

What is a neutral V/W?

The best kind because they have no interest in success or failure of the case. Therefore have no reason to lie. Will usually tell you whatever they know.

What is a hostile V/W?

They lie, intentionally omit information, be deceitful due to their relationship with the suspect.

What do deceitful people talk about?

They talk about how something looked. Remember their stories in chronological order. Cannot tell stories backwards.

What do truthful people talk about?

They talk about how something smelled or felt. Can tell a story backwards.

What are the steps to account clarification and challenge?

This stage is where you obtain an individual's account of events. 1. Obtaining the person's own uninterrupted account. 2. Expanding a clarifying account.

What words do you use in a question for children and venerable witnesses?

Use "how come" instead of "why"