Interviewing and Interrogation

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

7. 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: Victim

8. 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: Witnesses

9. 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 Categories of Persons to be Interviewed: Suspects

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. 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 The Definition of Interrogation

12. 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 Purpose of the Interrogation

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 • 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