Transcript Interviews and Interrogations

Interviews and
Interrogations
Coach Whitaker
Vocabulary
Verbal Communication—the words you say
and the way you say them
 Non-verbal Communication—the body
language that someone sees when you
communicate
 Paralanguage—are voice qualities such a
voice pitch, range, speed, and speech
difficulties, and lisping or stuttering

Introduction



As officers you will be constantly required to
interact with people in order to get things done or
get a key confession or admission
Communication is an officers prime tool with
which he can guide, organize, motivate, change,
and also effectively understand what another
person really wants or did
The way in which you communicate with others
has a direct effect on the way in which they
respond to you.
General Speaking Strategies


1.
2.
3.
4.
Presenting professionally
to the public requires you
to speak plainly and
clearly
Speaking strategies:
Speak plainly using clear
diction and grammar
Check your vocal
qualities
Avoid using slang terms
Never use profanity
General Speaking Strategies
5. Generally address
individuals by Sir and
Ma'am
6. Smile and nod when
listening to individuals
7. Utilize your voice
commands to project
Control and direct
actions.
Verbal/Non-Verbal Communication



Messages have two
parts--the words
themselves and the
signal we send
Actions speak louder
than words
Nonverbal cues
account for about 90
percent of the
meaning
Verbal Communication
1. Paralanguage—how we say a word or
phrase can determine its meaning
 Voice characteristics
 Sarcastic, judgmental, overbearing voice
tone
2. Word choices--The kind of words used is
often a clear reflection of the
officers'style
 “Loaded" words
 "You" statements
Verbal Communication
3. Judgments disguised
as questions
4. Descriptive instead of
judgmental Criticism
5. Clear, direct, non
apologetic expression
of expectations and
feelings
Activity

Practical 1-9

Preparation for two minute speech
Communication Games
 http://www.ag.ohiostate.edu/~bdg/communication.html
 http://www.deca.org/pdf/teambuildingga
mes.pdf

Non-Verbal Communication
Hesitation
 Nonassertive speakers sound as if they
are not sure of what they are saying
 ums and ahs
Lack of eye contact
 One of the most critical nonverbal cues is
lack of eye contact
 How do you feel when someone doesn't
make eye contact with you?
Non-Verbal Communication
Looking through you eye
contact
 Staring at someone is
certainly more powerful
than not making eye
contact at all
 can be intimidating and
minimize access to
information
Interruption
Tense, impatient posture
 A person can communicate
aggressiveness
Non-Verbal Communication
Slumping, downtrodden posture
 Confidence or lack of assurance are clearly
communicated before a person speaks
Words and nonverbal messages that don't
Match
 When what is said conflicts with the
nonverbal part of a message
Space Please
Intimate Zone: 6 to 18 inches
 This close phase of intimate distance is used for very close
friendships and children clinging to a parent or each other
Personal Zone: 1 to 2 feet
 This distance is kept for close contacts
Social Zone: 4 to 12 feet
Close phase: 4 to 7 feet
1. Generally the distance at which we transact impersonal
business.
2. Far phase: 7 to 12 feet
 This distance is for more formal social or
 business relationships.
Public Zone: 12 to 25 feet
Open Stance





Open body positions
often signal a listeners
understanding of a
topic
Steepled Fingers
Open hands/arms acceptance
Calm facial features understanding
Leaning forward signal of interest
Closed Positions
Closed positions include:
 Staring - Dominance, aggressiveness
 Crossed arms/clenched hands –
 indifference
 Confused/Questioning facial features


Utilizing body language techniques to deescalate an emotionally charged situation
Hostile Freak







A law enforcement officer
can often read a persons
body language which
may signal pre-attack
stress or aggression.
Smile with dead eyes
Posture and rigidity
Defiant eyes and
verbiage
Tight jaws
Ignores officer's presence
Will not relinquish control
Cont.
Will not communicate
 Clinched fists
 Shallow breathing
 Shaking/tremors and nervous twitches
 Alcohol/drug use

Activity
Hostile Freak Exercise
 Argument “video”

Field and In-Custody Interviews



Field and in-custody interviewing is a
fundamental skill for all law enforcement officers
It is critical for a law enforcement officer to have
complete and accurate information concerning
any potential criminal activity
While there are particular methods and
techniques used in law enforcement interviews,
these techniques vary depending upon the type
of interview process
Three Types of Interviews
Field interviews can be a
combination of dealing
with: victims, witnesses,
suspects, and suspicious
persons, as well as
innocent, uninvolved
citizens
Objectives
(1) Identification
(2) prevention and
repression of crime, and

Field interview
(1) centralized records of
field contacts

Interviews

1.
2.
3.
Interrogation
Interrogation of a suspect is a more
formal situation
Dealing with individuals who have come
under some suspicion as to a particular
crime or an individual who is suspected
of withholding information
Questioning of a suspect to gain
cooperation and to reveal the truth
Canvass interview

1.
2.
Canvass Interview
Interviewing a group
of different people to
quickly determine if
anyone has
information about a
particular crime or
incident
Purpose of this
interview is to
identify potential
witnesses
Interview Basics
Basic to all interviews is the necessity to
gain information
 Six essentials—Who, Where, What, When,
Why, and How
 The single greatest variable is the
individuals degree of cooperation

Questioning
Open-ended questions
are used to:
a) Promote conversation
b) Gain descriptive
information
c) Gain a narration of events

Closed-ended questions
are used to:
a) Clarify particular points.
b) Restrict the interviewee's
opportunity to talk

Activity
Practice Open Ended and Close Ended
Questions
 Create a Interviewing Handbook

The Cognitive Interview


The cognitive
interview technique
has many unique
characteristics which
better enable officer
to complete the
interview task
This technique also
provides the officer
with an opportunity to
identify deception in
an uncooperative
subject.
Tips For a Cognitive Interviews
A. "[Eyewitness] recall can be increased by
recreating the event's context at the time
of the interview
 witness recreate the situation (crime
scene) in their mind
B. The interviewee is told exactly how the
officer wants them to think about the
crime, as it relates to a given case
Tips For a Cognitive Interviews
C. Provide the interviewee with ample time (a few
seconds of silence)
D. Enlist the interviewee's active participation
E. Directed deliberation requires the interviewee to
pay intense attention to the process of recalling
details of the event
F. Altering the order of recall can often be used to
help cooperative interviewees remember events
or details
G. Request the interviewee to use a different
physical point of view
The Process of Memory Enhancement


Causes the
interviewee to think
about the crime,
during the interview,
in the same manner in
which they observed
the crime
This is the root of
cognition or how we
think about things
Uncooperative Interviewee

1.
2.
3.
There are numerous
reasons why people
are uncooperative
with and untruthful
to law enforcement
officers:
Do not wish to
become involved
Do not wish to reveal
the identity of the
suspect
May be the suspect
Interview
The officer must determine if the
interviewee is being cooperative and
truthful
 Alter the order of information retrieval
 Make the suspect retrieve the story
backwards
 Challenging a uncooperative suspect does
little good
 Refer to interrogator

Activity
Cognitive Interviewing
 Day Prior Practical Exercise Preparation

Interviewing the victim
Basic steps
(1) Personal crime victims must be handled with
great compassion and sensitivity. Do not
interfere with medical care.
(2) Property crime victims must be handled with
understanding and patience.
(3) Deflect anger directed at the officer by the
victim.
(4) Be alert to the need for a follow-up interview.

Victim Interviews



An officer will
encounter all of the
emotional problems
If medical care is
needed the officer
must be
compassionate
Property Victims may
show anger
Interviewing the witness
Basic steps
 (1) Enlist their support and cooperation in
becoming an active participant in exchanging
information.
 (2) Use the cognitive interview process to assist
the interviewee's memory.
 (3) Avoid contaminating the interviewee's
memory with the officer's information from other
sources
*The officer should think of the witness interview as
a mission in search of original information*

Interviewing the Suspect
Basic steps
(1) Avoid giving away
information.
(2) Focus on eliminating
or identifying the
interviewee as a
suspect.
(3) Call for a specialist,
if available

Interviewing the Suspect

1.
2.
3.
Suspect interviews is a tedious process
designed to accomplish the following:
The interview is designed to eliminate or
identify the suspect in a crime
The questions should be structured so
that absolutely no information is revealed
to this interviewee
The officer should not advise the suspect
of his Miranda warnings unless he is the
one who is to interrogate the suspect
Interviews



Domestics
Car Crashes
Suspicious Person
Final Interviews