 | Don't Roll the Dice on your Interrogations!posted by Wesley Clark, Group AdministratorMonday, January 24th 2011 @ 12:31 PM |
How much can you prepare for a gambling trip to Las Vegas or some other casino? Can you warm up your writs to get a better throw on the dice? Can you strengthen your arm to spin the Roulette Wheel so it always lands on your number? Can you train to press the button or pull the lever on a slot machine so you will get the jackpot? Of course not, these are games of chance and no matter what you do or how much you prepare, you cannot stack the odds in your favor, other than continually throwing away your money hoping that eventually you will win.
However, when we talk about investigative interviewing and criminal interrogations, preparation is one of the keys to emerge successfully from the interview or interrogation. The more we plan and prepare, and the more we know about the person we will be speaking with, the more we “stack the odds” in our favor of having a successful outcome. By stacking the odds I am not referring to playing a game of chance like I previously mentioned at a casino. I am talking about probabilities...there is a difference. Playing roulette is a game of chance and the roulette wheel is a randomizing device in which we cannot predict the outcome, only guess and "take a chance" when we place a bet
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With interviews and interrogations, we don't want to merely spin the roulette wheel or throw the dice and just "take a chance" at getting to the truth...we want to increase our probabilities of doing just that, reaching the truth, and preparation is an essential part of the process. There are so many ways we should prepare for an interview and the complexity of the investigation, the nature of the case, the particular individual you will be speaking with, the realities of the time factor, along with other issues are just a few determining factors on how much preparation you can or should devote prior to the interview.
One thing to prepare for is know the evidence in the case. You should know about all the available evidence and how it plays into your investigation and how it relates to the pending interview, and make a determination regarding what evidence you will bring up in your interview (if any) and at what point during the interview. The point at which you decide to reveal evidence is crucial to an effective interview. Too soon and the subject could craft a response to “fit” with the evidence you revealed. Too late and you may lose the leverage in the interview. So you should give thought as to what evidence to reveal and at what point, and what evidence to “hold back” during the interview process.
The other major factor is the person you are talking with. The more you know and understand the individual the more successful you will likely be in the interview or interrogation. You will be better able to develop rapport and enhance the level of trust with the individual. You will also have a better understanding of their “baseline”. The person’s baseline is their behavioral, physiological, and linguistic patterns exhibited during routine or normal questioning. You want to know how they respond during these routine questions to see if there are any changes when you talk about the case or investigation at hand. By understanding them and knowing more about the individual you are talking with, you will be in a better position to know how to approach the individual…such as should you approach from an emotional perspective or should you be really “fact-based?” Also, you will be able to see what motivates the individual and what is important to him or her and use that information during the interview process.
You should also prepare by knowing the legal issues surrounding the upcoming interview or interrogation. Is it a custodial interrogation and will you need to advise them of their Constitutional Warnings? For those investigators outside the United States, you probably have similar warnings for individuals in police custody, so just think of the legal requirements of a custodial interrogation in your jurisdiction. Do you have to record the interview by audio or video? If so, do you have everything you need, and how will you implement that? How about the individual’s communication ability? Do they speak English, or will you need a translator? What is their educational level? How about their psychological ability and overall intelligence? Are they a drug user? Are they currently under the influence of narcotics or alcohol? There are all factors you have to plan for in advance because they all will have an impact on the outcome of the interview or interrogation.
Also, you should give thought as to who will be the primary interviewer? Think about the personalities of the interviewer and interviewee…how can you leverage that to maximize the effectiveness? Will a female interviewer be better suited for the interrogation in this particular case? These are some thoughts to consider in preparation for your upcoming interviews and interrogations and it is totally based upon how much you know about your case and the person you will be talking with. There is a lot more to take into consideration, but this should get you moving in the right direction to start preparing a little better each time…don’t just throw the dice and hope for the best! Plan and prepare and increase the probability of success!
I appreciate you tuning into “8-Minute Insights”. If you want to learn more about the art and science of interview and interrogation, statement analyses, and detecting deception, please join our international association of investigative interviewers at the Interview and Interrogation Group, which you can find online at www.lies.igroops.com
Stay true and stay safe!
