Interviews & Interrogations

Discussing or showing interviewees what can lead to motions to suppress evidence, damage officer's credibility and generate distrust, especially when interviewee knows it is this.

False Evidence

Which Amendment make only voluntary statements admissible in court?

14th Amendment

Which Amendment could make any statement made during an unlawful seizure inadmissible?

4th Amendment

Which Amendment provides the privilege against self-incrimination?

5th Amendment

Which Amendment provides the right to counsel?

6th Amendment

False or unfounded (blank) of lying or withholding information. This can damage officer's credibility and generate distrust, especially when interviewee knows this is false.

Accusations

What is a combination of body language, questioning, and summarizing to show interest. Officers who actively listen during interviews are more effective at building rapport, demonstrating respect, and gathering information. "Victims, witnesses and suspects provide 3-4 times more information to officer who actively listen during interviews.

Active Listening

Under what legal standard can no person be compelled to furnish evidence against themselves?

Article 12

Where is an interview typically located?

At a Public or Private place

Where is an interrogation typically located?

At the Police Department

What are the following? 1. Treat people of all races, ages, cultures and beliefs equally. 2. Be patient, listen and give all sides equal time and opportunity to communicate their position. "I'm just trying to get to the bottom of this and find out what really happened." 3. Recognize and manage biases in self and interviewee. 4. Avoid leading questions. Do not use questions that suggest or otherwise imply an answer. This can be more pronounced with victims and witnesses. (Leading e.g., "Did he punch you in the face?) (Not Leading e.g., "How did you get hurt?) Note: During long interviews, officers can become impatient or tired and use leading questions. Prepare list of open-ended questions in advance, stay on track, and be prepared to deviate from the script when needed. Some interviewee answers may require follow up questions that were not identified 5. Do not use dominant techniques. Officers who use accusations, coercion and other dominant interview and interrogation techniques get less information. Dominant techniques produce more denials, refusals, false statements and confessions. The use of such techniques could also result in the court suppressing the statements, meaning they cannot be used at trail.

Best Practices for Demonstrating Neutrality during Interviews and Interrogations.

What are the following? 1. Show empathy by sincerely communicating an understanding for interviewee physical and emotional needs. 2. Always be courteous and polite even when the interviewee fails to do the same. Consider the following example: "I understand that you are [upset/nervous/stressed], but I've treated you fairly and respectfully. I have not raised my voice or yelled. I would appreciate the same from you." 3. Explain interview or interrogation processes up front and follow through. 4. Never use humiliation or sarcasm. 5. Do not communicate your personal opinions or be judgmental about interviewee actions, statements, or behavior. 6. Use appropriate language for age, culture or group affiliation. When language is used inappropriately, it can be interpreted by interviewee as "posing" or being disrespectful.

Best Practices for Demonstrating Respect during Interviews and Interrogations.

(1) Date and time (2) Specific reason for field interview (a) Witness, victim, suspect (b) Neighborhood canvass (c) General contact (3) Location (a) Weather and other relevant conditions (b) Interviewee reason/purpose for being in location (c) Proximity of interview location with crime scene (4) Interviewee Description (a) Name and Age (b) Current home address (c) Phone number and best time to re-contact (5) Interviewee description (a) Height, weight, gender, and race; include specific or unique characteristics to identify person (e.g., tattoos, etc.) (b) Full clothing and accessory descriptions; include specific or unique characteristics (e.g., wears glasses, clothing brands, carrying backpack etc.) (c) Physical and emotional state; include injuries, influence of alcohol or drugs (6) Interviewee mode of travel (a) Includes direction and mode (e.g., on foot, bicycle, motor vehicle) of travel (b) Provide full descriptions of motor vehicles and bicycles. (7) Questions asked by police (8) Statements made by interviewee; this includes answers to police questions (9) Request to conduct consent search (10) Length of interview

Best Practices for Reporting Field Interviews

- Be neutral - Be responsible - Be prepared Be organized and have needed documents and forms ready (e.g., Miranda waivers, recording, etc.). Test and confirm audio or video recorders are working properly. Bring extra pens, notebooks, paper and batteries. Anticipate reactions of interviewee. Victims, suspects and even witnesses can breakdown emotionally; suspects may become violent when confronted with their actions. - Recognize limitations When needed, seek assistance and use another officer with additional skills to conduct the interview or interrogation. Assisting officers should be briefed or familiar with case facts and circumstances. Use two officers whenever possible to conduct interview not just when need is perceived.

Best Practices to Demonstrate Professionalism during Interviews and Interrogations.

1. Make consistent eye contact throughout the interview 2. Summarize interviewee answers and statements. This demonstrates officers desire to gather accurate and complete information - "What I heard you say was [x]. Is that correct?" - "Is everything I just said accurate?" 3. Use non-verbal gestures (e.g., nodding head, etc.) and verbal prompts to encourage and facilitate interviewee participation. - "I see." - "Okay." "Go on." Note: Avoid body language or comments that communicates surprise, sarcasm, shock or disappointment. 4. Echo probing During pauses, use echo probing - repeating the interviewee's last few words verbatim - to inspire further elaboration. - Witness: "After the crash, the driver just kept going and would not stop." - Officer: "He would not stop. Ok." 5. Mirroring Mirroring is when one person consciously or subconsciously imitates gestures, seating position or spoken words of another. People who share rapport tend to mirror each other's gestures. 6. Silence Many people will speak just to avoid periods of silence. Waiting to talk can provide interviewees with time to think and inspire further communication.

Best Practices to demonstrate active listening during Interviews and Interrogations.

1. Use open and closed-ended questions strategically. Closed-ended questions call for short, concise answers which may limit the amount of information obtained. Closed-ended questions can be used to: - Gather basic information - Begin each interview with a series of closed-ended administrative questions (e.g., name, address, DOB, etc.) that are unlikely to generate anxiety and easy for people to answer. This helps officers: - Begin rapport building - Establish their authority - Provide structure to the interview - Identify shared interests, likes or dislikes with interviewee (i.e., build rapport), but be genuine. - "Did you watch the game last night?" - "Did you hear about [topic]?" - "What do you think about [topic]?" - Confirm or clarify answers to open-ended questions. - Ask direct questions to determine conduct or knowledge. - "Did you take the $500?" - "Do you take a walk every night?" - "Was Dan involved in the robbery?" Watch interviewee's body language and behavior for future comparison. For example, interviewee body language to non-threatening closed-ended questions vs open-ended questions where more anxiety was detected. Open-ended questions call for a narrative response which can produce more accurate information because they allow interviewees to take control of the conversation and communicate freely. This also helps build rapport. Open-ended questions are used to: - Facilitate general conversation - Identify shared interests, likes or dislikes with interviewee (i.e., build rapport) - Understand interviewee, communication style, memory and personality - Gather initial facts "Please tell me what happened?" "Why do you believe [topic] happened?" - Gather unsolicited information "What questions do you have for me?" "Is there anything you think I left out or need to know?" - Identify contradictions - Watch interviewee's body language and behavior for future comparison. For example, interviewee reaction to non-threatening closed-ended questions vs. open-ended questions where anxiety or deception was detected. 2. Be aware of the spacing of your questions. Given interviewee time to answer each question fully at their own pace. Do not rush them to finish an answer or ask questions in rapid-fire succession. If an interviewee has difficulty remembering or cannot answer a question, officers can ask the question again later in the interview. For example, officers can say "We can come back to that later" and make a note of it.

Best Practices when Asking Questions during Interviews and Interrogations.

Officers will often be called to a scene to collect information related to a specific incident such as the scene of a robbery or shooting. a) Use P.R.I.D.E.S. b) Separate and prioritize To ensure information provided is unique to each interviewee, separate witnesses, victims and suspects as soon as possible. In some cases, a scheduled interview may be needed. When circumstances allow, officers can prioritize order of people to interview (1) Victim (2) Witness (3) Suspect Interview suspects last allows investigators to gather evidence first and develop a general understanding of what happened. c) Location (1) Select a location that offers physical safety for officers and interviewees. When needed, maintain a safe distance and use contact & cover tactics. (2) Find a location with limited distractions (e.g., noise, movement, weather). (3) Use private location when needed. Some people may be afraid or reluctant tot talk with police in public settings. Reasons include fear of retaliation by neighbors, culture or a simple desire to remain anonymous. Giving interviewees privacy and confidentiality when practical can increase participation and accuracy of information provided. In some cases, it may be more effective to gather basic contact information at the scene and arrange for a schedule interview. Interviewee's privacy needs during a field interview must be balanced with safety needs of officers, suspects and innocent third parties. d) Use time efficiently Duration may limit amount and depth of information. Some field interviews may require people to deviate from daily routines or schedules. For example, a witness who was on their way to work may have limited time to talk with an officer immediately. To increase interviewee participation and accuracy of information provided, officers must adapt to time constraints by: (1) Conducting a brief interview to determine if a person has any information of value (2) Quickly gathering name, phone and address of person to make contact later (3) Setting up a scheduled interview on a date and time convenient for person Nature and seriousness of event will determine how long officer can wait to interview people. e) Report the interview Type of information needed to report this kind of interview will be determined by circumstance. Refer to agency policy for reporting requirements.

Best practices for interviews conducted related to a specific incident

i. Obtain written statement at the end of interview. ii. Provide interviewee with pen and paper (or agency form) to write statement by hand. iii. Remind interviewee to include dates, times, people and anything he/she believes is important. iv. Provide interviewee with privacy to write statement. v. Review completed statement with interviewee. if an interviewee wants to make a correction, instruct him to cross it out and initial by hand. vi. Have interviewee confirm/verify written statement with name, signature, date and item.

Best practices when obtaining written statements

What means to explain "why" actions are taken?

Clarity

What type of questions are designed to intentionally limit and force people to give answers that fit an officer-supplied narrative generates distrust?

Closed-ended questions

Using physical force, making threats, conducting long interviews or engaging in inappropriate psychological manipulation is all what?

Coercion

What are the following? - Ask follow-up questions -Verify accuracy of information - Determine a person's involvement in or knowledge of a crime - Obtain better understanding of a problem and develop solutions (e.g., vandalism, domestic violence victim, etc.)

Common purposes for scheduled interviews

What means being polite and king to people?

Courtesy

What means showing good manners?

Decorum

Information is developed by asking questions, watching behavior and listening. The following tasks are part of the Develop Information phase. a) Use open-ended questions to gather initial facts. "Starting from the time you came home, please tell me what happened." "Starting from the time you woke up this morning tell what happened." "Please describe what you saw when you looked out of your window." "Please explain the exact nature of the problem for me." b) Allow interviewee to answer without interrupting. Identify areas that need follow-up and use notes to develop more questions. Ask follow-up questions after initial question is fully answered or at end of interview. Note: With advance planning and roles defined, the second officer present can help by asking follow-up questions. In general, second officer assistance with questioning should be limited and only when asked/directed by primary that is his/her opportunity to do so. c) Use gesturing, mirroring, echo probing, silence and other active listening techniques to encourage interviewee communication. d) Watch interviewee behavior and listen to word choices. Effective officers are self-aware and flex their communication style to personality of interviewee. e) Take detailed notes on interviewee answers and relevant behaviors.

Develop information

What are the following? - Accusations - Coercion - False evidence - Closed-ended questions

Dominant Interview and Interrogation Techniques

What means to demonstrate understanding for other people's feelings and emotions?

Empathy

Officers must evaluate information provided during the interview. This is accomplished by reviewing and asking follow-up questions. The following tasks are part of the Evaluate phase. a) Review statements and provide interviewee with opportunity to elaborate or clarify. "Let's review what we discussed to make sure I understand everything." "What I heard you say was [topic]. Is that correct?" "Is there anything that needs to be changed?" b) Use close-ended questions to confirm statements and pursue areas identified for follow-up. c) Use open-ended questions when more detail or elaboration is needed. Avoid leading questions. d) Obtain written statements. Officers should consider whether a written statement of the witness would be beneficial to the investigation. Obtaining written statements from interviewees can add credibility and strengthen validity of information provided during interviews. Officers should consider that a written statement may not be necessary if the officer obtained a thorough statement from the witness during the interview. Any written statement in a criminal case must be provided to the prosecutor who will also provide it to the defendant. The statement could be used by the witness at a later time to refresh their memory about the events. A statement that omits certain details; however, could also adversely affect the credibility of the the witness. Officers should refer to employing agency policy or practice for obtaining written statements.

Evaluate information

Field interviews will always require the filing of a Field Contact, Field Interview, or Field Observation report. Refer to your department policy for the proper reporting form. Even seemingly routine information may assist in future investigations so proper documentations is critical. The type of information needed to report a field interview will be determined by circumstance.

Field Interview Reporting

What is a brief interaction when a police officer stops a person to talk with, and ask that person questions to learn information? These are used to learn basic and real-time information about people, places, and events. These generally occur while working uniform patrol, take place in public settings and last less than 20 minutes.

Field Interviews

What are the two (2) types of unscheduled conversations for law enforcement purposes?

Field Interviews and Terry stops/Threshold inquires

Identifying persons interviewed makes it easier for officers to re-contact later if needed. Agency policy may have specific reporting practices for voluntary encounters and field interviews where no enforcement action is taken. Ask for photo identification and use closed-ended questions to obtain the following information of person interviewed. - Full name - Date of birth - Home address, including apartment number. - Telephone numbers (best number to reach and time, including cell, home and work numbers). - Email

Identify people

When an officer talk about doing this to a suspect they are referring to the formal and systematic questioning of a person in-custody. Under the law, this has a much broader definition that will be discussed further when we talk about Miranda warnings. These are usually planned in advance, occur at the police station or other detention facility and can last for hours. These allow officers more time to gather evidence and develop questions in advance. A custodial one of these is questioning initiated by law enforcement officers after a person has been taken into custody or otherwise deprived of their freedom of action in any significant way. What are these called?

Interrogating

These have different legal standards than interviews. The 5th Amendment to the US Constitution provides individual protections from self-incrimination during custodial these. Because information obtained during one of these can be vital to criminal prosecution, officers must follow legal standards and possess effective interviewing skills. What are these called?

Interrogation

What are the following? - Rapport - Respect - Neutrality - Questioning - Active Listening - Professionalism

Interviews and Interrogations Best Practices

During voluntary encounters such as field interviews, police cannot compel cooperation or seize a person without legal justification. Officers should understand that a field interview or consensual encounter can become an investigative stop. This happens when an officer, through words or conduct, objectively communicated that the officer will use their police power to coerce the person to stay. When the encounter between the individual and the officer has turned into a stop, then the conversation is no longer a field interview. It is now a threshold inquiry. Threshold inquires often occur when police are dispatched to a report of a crime or witness suspicious conduct. To conduct a threshold inquiry, meaning the officer is requiring a person to stop so that the officer can investigate further, an officer must have reasonable suspicion based on specific and articulable facts that a crime has been, is being or is about to be committed.

Investigative Stop/Terry stops/Threshold inquires

Do interviews need to be recorded?

It is optional

"Professional Service through Integrity, Equality, and Excellence."

MPTC motto

What is being fair, impartial and not helping either side in a conflict or disagreement? Victims, witnesses and suspects are more likely to be honest and share information when they believe officers are this.

Neutrality

Are interviews accusatory?

No

Do people need to be in-custody for an interview?

No

"Well-defined interview goals increase the probability of success because the interview will proceed with direction and purpose." To identify interview goals, officers must plan their approach beforehand. The following tasks are part of the Plan phase: a) Identify purpose of interview. Is the purpose to obtain information from a victim, suspect or witness, or any other person with information? Is the purpose to help a specific person, neighborhood watch or advocacy group solve a problem,? Purpose of interview can help identify potential avenues for building and maintaining rapport with interviewee. b) Gather pertinent background information on the person to be interviewed. Sources of such information could include in-house department records, social media, criminal history etc. c) Identify information that needs to be obtained during the interview and prepare a list of subjects to be addressed. d) Develop questions that seek to obtain needed information in advance and bring them to interview. Develop list of questions and be prepared to deviate from the script when needed. Some interviewee answers may require follow up questions that were not identified or anticipated. Deviations are inevitable and may even serve to be productive in attaining more information. e) When time permits, develop a written action plan (e.g., questions, etc.) and use during interview to stay on track. f) Be prepared to take detailed notes during interview. Note-taking should be a function of the second officer when available. g) Determine need and value of recording interview taking into account case law and department policy.

Plan the interview

What is the acronym to describe best practices for interviews stemming from specific incidents and for scheduled interviews? Although some of the concepts apply to field interviews, the method is designed to be utilized during a formal scheduled interview.

Plan the interview Rapport building Identify people Develop information Evaluate information Summarize

What is the skill, good judgment and polite behavior expected from a person who is trained to do a job well? It is also the conduct, behaviors, or qualities that characterize a profession or a professional person.

Professionalism

To gather complete and accurate information, officers must ask questions. Questioning helps officers demonstrate active listening, empathy, understanding and neutrality. Questioning also provides officers with an opportunity to watch interviewee's body language and evaluate veracity of information provided.

Questioning

What is a harmonious relationship in which the people or groups concerned understand each other's feelings or ideas and communicate well? It is marked by ready communication and mutual understanding or a relationship built on mutual trust or emotional affinity. Evidence, experience and research shows that victims, witnesses and suspects provide more information to officers who build this during interviews and interrogations.

Rapport

Victims, witnesses and suspects participate more fully and provide more information when officers build and maintain rapport. Effective rapport building begins immediately and continue throughout the interview. When needed, use officer safety tactics (e.g., distance, contact & cover, etc.)

Rapport building

Effective rapport building begins at the time of initial contact (e.g. call to schedule an appointment, at time of arrest, at the booking desk, introduction by third party or other officer/detective) and continues throughout the interview. Use the following best practices to build rapport during interviews and interrogations. 1. Start interview or interrogation with personalized greeting. Consider the following examples: "Hello. My name is Officer Matt Kilmartin. Thank you very much for taking time to meet with me today. How are you doing today?" "Hello. My name is Officer Matt Kilmartin. I realize this is a difficult situation, but I need your help" 2. Use a friendly and non-accusatory conversion style. 3. Before asking formal questions about the event, allow interviewee time to become accustomed to officer and surroundings. 4. Explain interview or interrogation processes up front and follow through. Letting people know what to expect can help alleviate interviewee stress. Consider the following examples: "The reason we are here is because I need your help with [topic]." "I only have a few questions. It will take than [X] minutes." "I will ask one question at a time for you to answer. I may take notes and not always make eye contact, but I am listening. I'll save and ask my follow-up questions toward the end of the interview. Do you have any questions for me before me start?" 5. Show empathy by sincerely communicating an understanding for the interviewee's physical and emotional needs. Consider the following examples: "Can I get you anything to drink?" "Would you like to use the restroom before we get started?" "This is a very tough situation. How can I help?" "If you need to take a break at any time, just let me know." 6. When appropriate, identify and emphasize shared interests, likes or dislikes. 7. Be self-aware and flex communication style by adapting to personality of interviewee. Choose words and delivery methods that resonate with communication needs of interviewee. 8. Adjust or remove physical barriers between officer and interviewee (e.g., furniture, patrol car, etc.). Minimize external distractions. 9. Manage proxemics. Begin interviews and interrogations using social (>4') or personal (2'-4') distances. Moving into intimate spaces (<2') can increase stress and should only be done with strategic purpose. Avoid touching interviewees, especially victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. "During sit-down interviews, officer and interviewee chairs should be offset and not positioned for face-to-face communication. Moving into a face-to-face position increases stress and should be done when appropriate with purpose." 10. Change officers when needed. An interviewee may be more comfortable or willing to speak with an officer who is the same gender, age group or race. Make every effort to accommodate the request when practical and reasonable. Interviewee may not state directly that they would be more comfortable speaking with another officer, but the officer conducting the interview should be looking for signs that the interviewee is not comfortable and if possible, perhaps delay the interview until such time as another officer is available. The officer should consider asking the individual if they are uncomfortable, and adjust accordingly. This aids in rapport building. If communication with interviewee is strained, awkward or distrustful, stop the interview and try again later or find another officer to conduct interview. If at all possible, assure that two officers are present for interviews. For both safety reasons and for the ease of transition if there is an issue communicating. A poor first impression can be an impediment to all officers who try to speak with that person going forward.

Rapport building best practices

a) Learn the truth b) Learn more facts c) Obtain a truthful confession d) Recover evidence or property e) Corroborate investigative theories f) Eliminate or identify other suspects

Reasons Police use Interrogations

Officers who demonstrate professionalism during interviews are more effective at building rapport, demonstrating respect and gathering information from victims, witnesses and suspects. - In a survey, convicted child molesters said they were planning to provide pertinent information during interrogations, but did not because the interviewing officer was unprofessional and negative toward them. - Suspects who perceived their interviewing officer to be professional we more likely to confess.

Research on Professionalism

- Information provided by witnesses is more accurate when good interview rapport has been established. - An interview style based on rapport building helps victims and witnesses remember and provide more information than an accusatory interview style. - An effective interview rapport helps suspects overcome stress and anxiety when speaking with police officers. This helps conversations flow more freely and improves the cooperation of anyone with whom an officer communicates.

Research on Rapport Building

Victims, witnesses and suspects who feel respected are more likely to be honest and share information. Officers who treat others with respect are also more effective at building rapport. Demonstrating respect to other is Who We Are. - Most people, including suspects, want the police to treat them with respect. "Respectful treatment by officers encourages guilty suspects to provide fuller accounts of their actions." - Suspects were more likely to provide information or confess to a crime if they felt the interviewing officer was treating them with respect. - Inmates convicted of murder and other serious sexual offense were more likely to confess if they felt respected. - Respect shown by officers was the primary reason child molestation suspects confessed during interviews. Suspects did not confess when officers used demeaning and coercive treatment.

Research on Respect

What do officers demonstrate when they communicate with people using the following? (1) Empathy (2) Courtesy (3) Decorum (4) Clarity

Respect

What is an act of showing consideration for another person's needs or feelings? Community members must have confidence that police have this for everyone they encounter.

Respect

What the following best practice for? a) Use P.R.I.D.E.S. b) Separate and prioritize To ensure information provided is unique, conduct separate scheduled interviews. When circumstances allow, officers can prioritize order of people to interview. (1) Victim (2) Witness (3) Suspect c) Location Scheduled interviews may occur at the police department, the interviewee's home or other neutral location (e.g., public library). Effective locations are free from distractions and provide a safe environment to build and maintain rapport. In general, scheduled interviews with victims and witnesses can occur inside his or her home. Home interviews also provide more opportunities (e.g., photographs, etc.) for officers to build rapport. Note: Suspect interviews should occur at the police department or neutral location. d) Prepare Scheduled interviews can provide officers with time to research agency reports, criminal records and other sources beforehand. Information sources can be used to identify potential avenues for rapport and develop interview questions. Gather as much intelligence in advance from other sources (e.g., CORI, NCIC, social media, other law enforcement, etc.) Be organized and have needed documents and forms ready (e.g., Miranda waivers, recording, etc.). Test and confirm audio or video recorders are working properly. Bring extra pens, notebooks, paper and batteries. e) Report writing for the scheduled interview Type of information needed to write a report for a scheduled interview will be determined by circumstance. For example, scheduled interviews used to question suspects require officers to document in detail how the interview was non-custodial. Refer to agency policy for reporting scheduled interviews.

Scheduled Interviews

What is a planned and formal interaction where police officers ask witnesses, victims, potential suspects or citizens more in-depth questions? Officers must be careful when conducting a scheduled interview with a suspect. If a suspect voluntarily comes to an interview and is informed he is free to leave at any time, this would generally be considered to be non-custodial; however, if the suspect is actually in "custody", then Miranda rights are required. In general these last no more than 30 minutes and officers questions are not accusatory.

Scheduled interview

Concluding interviews in a positive and professional manner maintains rapport and make it easier to re-contact interviewee if needed. The following tasks are part of the Summarize phase. a) Summarize purpose of interview and next steps, if any. "We spent 45 minutes today discussing the assault on August 12th. That's all for today." "We are finished, but I may need to talk with you again later this week. Should I call your mobile or work phone?" "Our next step is to contact other resources to help us fix the problem." b) Leave interviewee with open invitation to re-contact. "If you remember something that we did not cover today, please call me immediately." "If you forgot to tell me something in response to my questions, please contact me." "To check on the status of your case, please contact me by email or phone." c) Give interviewee the "last word" by asking them if they have any final questions d) End interview with a sincere "thank you" "Thank you very much for stopping and answering my questions." "Thank you for taking time out of your day to talk with me. We definitely needed your help." "I really appreciate you coming in and taking time to talk with me." e) Complete and submit official report detailing interview.

Summarize

What legal standards protect against self-incrimination during interrogations? The right against self-incrimination applies whenever police subject an individual to custodial interrogation.

The 5th Amendment and Article 12 of the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights

What is the purpose of an interrogation?

To obtain a confession

What is the purpose of an interview?

To obtain information

What the following best practice for? (1) Written statements Scheduled interviews are longer, planned and typically occur in settings that allow officers to obtain written statements. Determine beforehand if a written statement will add value. (2) Reason for scheduled interview (e.g., witness, victim, suspect, general information unrelated to a crime, etc.) (3) How person arrived at interview location (e.g., brought by police; drove self, etc.) (4) Date and time (5) Location (a) Room size (b) Open or closed access room (c) Door open/closed; locked/unlocked (d) Names of all people present (6) Interviewee (a) Name, current home address, contact phone numbers; best time and method to make recontact if needed (b) Physical and emotional state; include influence of alcohol or drugs (not prescribed) (c) Use of prescription medications; taken as scheduled (d) Cognitive limitations (7) Questions asked by police (8) Statements made including answers to police questions (9) Length of interview

Writing reports for a scheduled interview

Are interrogations accusatory?

Yes

Do interrogations need to be recorded?

Yes

Do people need to be in-custody for an interrogation?

Yes