CONDUCTING INTERVIEWS

You should prepare yourself adequately to conduct an interview. This preparation is sometimes hasty, consisting of no more than a mental review of your knowledge of the case or of a quick briefing by the Master-at-Arms or security patrolman who arrived first at the crime scene. When time permits, a more formal preparation is made. Preparation, whenever possible, includes the following three elements:

1. Familiarity with the case. You should fix in your mind all that is currently known of the who, what, when, where, how, and why of the crime. You should pay particular attention to the specific details, especially those that have not become public knowledge.

2. Familiarity with the background of the interviewee. You should acquire some background knowledge of the interviewee before attempting an interview. If this is not possible, you should attempt to obtain the background information from the interviewee during the initial portion of the interview. This knowledge will enable you to adopt a correct questioning technique and to extract maximum valuable information. This knowledge will also enable you to test the interviewee's truthfulness and to impress him or her with the thoroughness of the investigation.

Background facts of particular value include: 

. Age, place of birth, nationality, and race. 

l Present or former rank (for civilians-status in business or in the community). 

. Educational level, present duty, and former occupations. 

. Habits and associates-how and where leisure time is spent. 

. Information in records of courts-martial or civilian court convictions, information in detention records, and information regarding the nature and seriousness of offenses committed. 

. Information in records in the local security office.

3. Estimate of information sought. When possible, you should determine in advance the information to be sought in the interview. In complex cases, you can prepare a set of questions that you can consult unobtrusively during the interview. The questions are designed to induce the interviewee to tell his or her story rather than to elicit "yes" or "no" answers.

You should take care neither to overestimate nor to underestimate the interviewee as a source of information. Plan a systematic questioning session. Detailed information, needed by you for a variety of reasons, is not often provided by interviewees unless they are questioned carefully and systematically.

Carefully planned questioning stimulates recall and enables interviewees to provide the best possible descriptions of persons, places, things, and events.

Planning the Interview

A person involved in an investigation should be interviewed as soon as possible since, at best, memory is short and as time passes is often affected by outside influences. It must be kept in mind, however, that there are times when interviews or interrogations are best postponed until they can be conducted in a logical and chronological sequence. Generally, cooperative witnesses are interviewed at their earliest convenience when you have time to conduct a thorough, unrushed interview.

At times, as in the case of responding to the scene of a crime or accident, preliminary questioning is accomplished at the scene and followed up with a more detailed interview as soon as possible.

Generally, willing witnesses, excluding those who are interviewed at the scene, are interviewed where they feel psychologically comfortable such as in their homes or offices. If, however, individual witnesses would feel uneasy in a police environment, and it would not cause undue hardship for them to be interviewed at your office, there is no objection to doing so.

With suspects and hostile witnesses, again referring to those who are not questioned at the scene, it is best to conduct the questioning in a proper interrogation room as described later in this chapter or in any other available location where the investigator enjoys the psychological advantage.

Introduction and Identification

You should introduce yourself courteously and make certain that the interviewee is aware of your correct identity. You should show your credentials if any doubt appears as to your authority in the investigation. When interviewing women in their homes, the male investigator should stand several steps from the door until the interviewee is convinced of his identity and has invited him into the residence.

You should also make certain of the identity of the interviewee. Before questioning any interviewee suspected of an illegal offense, the interviewee must receive an appropriate warning. The warning should be presented prior to obtaining all the administrative data needed for the investigation.

A hasty introduction or the appearance of haste at the beginning of the interview may make the interviewee feel unimportant and that the information he or she is in a position to give is of little value. A few minutes spent in a proper introduction are not wasted.

The introduction gives you time to evaluate the interviewee and the approach you have selected. The interviewee, then, is given an opportunity to overcome any nervousness and is usually in a better frame of mind to answer questions.

Opening Statement

When the introduction is completed you should make a general statement about the case without disclosing any of the specific facts that have been developed. When talking to civilians, avoid the use of military terms and abbreviations.

If appropriate, warn the interviewee of his or her rights. The warning is required only when there is reason to believe the interviewee is involved in the offense in question, or may be involved in another offense-the investigation or prosecution of which may be jeopardized if the warning is not given.

The Interview

Your attitude and actions usually determine the success or failure of the interview. You should be friendly and businesslike, endeavor to get the interviewee into a talkative mood, and guide the conversation toward the interviewee's knowledge of the case. The interviewee should be permitted to tell his or her complete story without unnecessary interruptions. As stated earlier, the questions should be phrased so as to maintain a free flow of talk rather than brief "yes" or "no" answers. Discrepancies and inconsistencies should be noted and resolved. Specific approaches are:

1. The indirect approach is generally used with ready, willing, and able interviewees. They are simply asked to tell their stories in their own way. You are mainly a "listener," asking questions only when needed to clarify information furnished. Leading questions which suggest an expected answer are avoided.

2. The direct approach, where specific, direct questions are asked and you become a "questioner," is used when the interviewee is not ready, willing, or able to provide the information desired for one reason or another. Leading questions are sometimes necessary, but should be avoided especially with an unstable person.