1. Interviewing and Interrogation
Chapter 1
1-1

2. Lesson Overview: How are Crimes Solved?
When someone makes the decision to talk to the police
Influenced by the communication skills of the interviewer

3. 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 five senses

4. The Definition of Interviewing
Interviewing is the practice of fact finding which produces information that can lead to conclusions about an event or incident

5. What is an Interview?
An interview is questioning persons who are not suspects in a crime, but who may know something about it

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

7. 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

8. 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

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

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

11. 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

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

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

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

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

16. 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

17. Rapport Development
Rapport is when two people agree on the means and willingness to communicate
Established by putting the interviewee at ease through mutual respect
It is earned by the attitude of the interviewer

18. Knowledgeable Interviewer
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

19. 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

20. 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

21. Matching
Matching is a subtle form of the interviewer mimicking the non-verbal and paralanguage behaviors of the person being interviewed

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

23. Posture Communicates Emotion
Rising energy is reflected in a lift of the body
Downward movement is related to death, the sick, the weary, and the discouraged

24. Matching Kinesic Communications
When two people are communicating effectively their body language will be aligned
When an interviewer attempts to develop rapport, defensive signals need to be overcome in order for the interview to proceed effectively

25. 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, a grimace for fear, or a pout to indicate sadness
Wide eyes typically indicate surprise or excitement; narrowed eyes indicate disagreement or a threat

26. Examples of Gestures
That 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

27. Facial Expressions
Include both conscious and unconscious movements of the nose, lips, eyebrows, tongue, and eyes

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

29. 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

30. Paralanguage
The vocal part of speech and its nuances is communication that goes beyond the specific words spoken
It is not only what people say, but how they say it that is important!

31. Characteristics of Paralanguage
Tone
Pitch
Reflection
Amplitude
Rate
Voice quality