Interviewing and Interrogation Chapter 1

Lesson Overview: How are crimes solved? When someone makes the decision to talk to the police Influenced by the communication skills of the interviewer

The Communication Process: The Berlo SMCR Model For an interview to occur: A person initiates the interaction (the source) A person receives and interprets the means (the receiver) Meaning is conveyed through our 5 senses

Purpose of the Interview The purpose of the interview is to gather information. Approximately 80% of police investigative work consists of interviewing!

Characteristics of an Interview Non-accusatory Purpose is gather information Should be conducted early in the investigation Variety of environments Free flowing May need to take notes

Categories of Persons to be Interviewed: Victim A victim is the person who is the object of an incident, crime, or other harm caused against them. These interviews are influenced by prejudice, anger, pain, and fear in addition to age, gender, cognitive abilities, and fear of disclosure.

Categories of Persons to be Interviewed: Witnesses A witness is someone who personally sees, hears, or otherwise observes something relating to the incident under investigation. Eyewitness evidence is notoriously inaccurate, incomplete, and unreliable.

Categories of Persons to be Interviewed: Suspects A suspect is the person that the police officer has reasonable cause to believe committed a specific crime. In addition to sharing the same influences as the victim, a suspect has consequences to fear!

The Definition of Interrogation An interrogation is an exercise in persuasion with the goal of eliciting a truthful confession. Persuade: to influence or gain over by argument, advice, or entreaty Elicit: to draw out or entice forth

Purpose of the Interrogation It is meant to encourage the suspect to provide evidence of guilt or involvement in an event. Sought by the interrogator is a confession or admission.

Confession A statement made by a defendant disclosing his or her guilt of a crime with which he was charged and excluding the possibility of a reasonable inference to the contrary.

Admission An acknowledgement of guilty conduct containing only facts from which guilt may or may not be inferred.

Characteristics of an Interrogation Accusatory Involves active persuasion Purpose = learn the truth! Controlled environment Suspected guilt Notes are not initially taken

Personal Qualities of the Interviewer The process of successful interviewing includes: Putting aside personal prejudices and biases Developing a genuine curiosity Having a positive attitude A willingness to develop rapport Becoming knowledgeable Being professional

Rapport Development Rapport is the communication that results when two people agree on the means and willingness to communicate.

Knowledgeable Keeps asking questions and continues to learn from each case Does not make judgments based on past encounters that were similar Knows that the answers must be learned from the circumstances and will only come through listening and watching

Professionalism Demands that each investigation begins without case bias or preconceived notions about the victim Requires patience and persistence Is the capacity to demonstrate respect for others

Communication for Rapport Communication includes both verbal and non-verbal messages Information communicated is about 65% non-verbal Verbal communication is about 35% of information related

Matching Matching is a subtle form of the interviewer mimicking the nonverbal and paralanguage behaviors of the person being interviewed.

Kinesics Kinesics is a form of non-verbal communication that includes: Body language Facial expressions Gestures

Matching Kinesic Communications When two people are communicating effectively their body language will be aligned Facial expressions include both conscious and unconscious movement of the nose, lips, eyebrows, tongue, and eyes When an interviewer attempts to develop rapport defensive signals need to be overcome in order for the interview to proceed effectively

Examples of Facial Expressions Eyebrows frown for anger or concentration and rise for intensity Pupils of the eyes get larger during fear and smaller during rest Lips may move into a grin to show happiness, grimace for fear, or pout to indicate sadness Wide eyes typically indicates surprise or excitement; narrowed eyes indicate disagreement or a threat

Examples of Gestures Rubbing one’s ear is an indication the person does not know the answer to a question Swaying backwards in the chair points to an individual with a weak ego Crossing of the arms is a defensive posture, the person has become cautious

Proxemics The study of our use of space and how various differences in that use makes us feel more relaxed or more anxious

Proxemics Spacing Intimate space Personal-casual space 0 to 1.5 feet Personal-casual space 1.5 to 4 feet Social-consultive space 5 to 10 feet Public space 10 feet and beyond