Law Enforcement Interviewing Techniques

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how criminal investigation relies heavily on evidence elicited directly, whether from cooperative eyewitnesses to a crime or from less (intentionally) cooperative suspects. It looks at how, according to veteran investigators, information provided by witnesses and perpetrators is responsible for more than three-quarters of successfully solved violent crimes, whereas independently-obtained, circumstantial evidence is instrumental in less than one-quarter. It discusses how techniques for interviewing witnesses and interrogating suspects remain one of the most inadequately addressed areas of formal police training, with many officers simply acquiring their skills informally on the job.

From the Paper:

"Interviews with police investigators reveal the widespread belief among
police personnel that investigative skills are chiefly functions of innate ability and natural instincts, as opposed to any formal training (Fletcher, 1992). Anecdotal evidence suggests that, to some degree, this appears true in that many successful investigators have no formal training in interviewing or interrogation, while others remain relatively unsuccessful despite participation in seminars and other forms of training programs specifically designed to teach effective techniques of interviewing
witnesses and interrogating suspects."

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