Interviewing
Victims and Witnesses
Course
Number:
CR-540
Course Length: 1 Day (7.5 Hours)
Law enforcement
officers regularly question victims and witness, who are willing,
but unable to supply complete and accurate information. From traffic
accidents to armed robberies, citizens usually furnish far less
information than they possess. Perhaps additional questioning
or the modification of questioning techniques is needed. Perhaps
rapport is missing, or the location is improper. This course assesses
the psychological environment within which officers normally operate
when interviewing victims and witnesses. Why do many potential
witnesses to a serious traffic accident, a hit-and-run, or a fleeing
felon fail to provide helpful information when questioned? Why
do victims walk away from an interview feeling that the officer
doesn’t care about solving the crime, since the interview
went so badly?
This course discusses the causes, elements, manifestations, patterns
and other issues involved in successfully interviewing those who
are willing to furnish information to authorities. It presents
strategies and techniques for gathering additional useful information
during interviews, while leaving the interviewee with a positive
impression of the interviewer. Topics include selecting and controlling
the interview environment, developing an analysis of each victim/witness
so as to employ the proper tactics for the interview, how different
people view and remember an incident, why anger may be present
and appropriate in the truthful person, recognizing the normal
victim response, employing an effective approach and interaction
technique, personalizing the interview to maximize recall, and
using a variety of techniques to better enable a person to relate
accurate information, while being better able to translate this
information into actual useful details.
Emphasis is placed on selecting the proper question types and
methods of delivery, as well as the analysis of responses. Participants
will learn how to obtain more accurate descriptions of persons,
vehicles, weapons, and other incident-related observations. Interviewing
challenges are discussed, including handling the compliant, dealing
with acquiescence and reticence, considering inconsistencies,
and proper interview closure.