Module 5-1 Journal
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Southern New Hampshire University *
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Apr 3, 2024
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Module 5-1 Journal: Interviewing/Interrogation Strategies
Dominique Bishop
Southern New Hampshire University
CJ 140 Communication Skills
Professor Robert Doolin
October 1, 2023
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After being a detective and having been able to interview and interrogate many witnesses and suspects, I can agree that this video provided an example of what a great interview looks like. The officer in the video was able to keep a commanding presence and obtained a confession that led to closing the case one step further. This confession will strongly assist the county's solicitor general’s or district attorney’s office in a conviction or plea agreement.
First, the purpose of this interview was to obtain information on what occurred the evening of the event. The suspect in the interview was observed to be closed off and very nervous. Suspect “Jonathan’s” right leg was shaking a lot under the table, and he sat with his arms crossed, which is usually a sign of creating a barrier between him and the officer. This is also seen as a form of protection for the suspect and is a tell-tell sign to the officer that he has something to hide. Along with retrieving information on what happened during the time of the
incident, the officer wanted the suspect to be truthful when explaining what happened. Unfortunately, for the officer, the interview did not start with the suspect being honest.
Furthermore, the officer utilized two strategic questioning styles that were presumptive and, my favorite, the ambush. The officer presumptively asked the suspect several times in order to get him to either agree or deny the events that occurred during the incident. For example, the officer asked the suspect about the shoe print on the vehicle door and stated, “That clearly has a Jordan symbol on it, doesn’t it?” The suspect agreed with the officer that the shoe print did match a Jordan symbol. The Ambush technique changed the atmosphere in the interview. As soon as the officer stated, “I don’t like being lied to,” the suspect immediately crossed his arms again and changed the position in his chair. The officer was
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getting very close to the truth, and it made the suspect very uncomfortable. The presumptive questioning and ambush statements were utilized in this video exceptionally. With the officer utilizing these techniques and being patient with the suspect, even though it was of camera, the suspect confessed and was arrested for his crime.
Lastly, the only thing I might have done differently was to provide more opportunity for
the suspect to answer open-ended questions. There was a nice mix of questions, but I prefer to
keep the suspect talking. More open-ended questions could have gotten him to a confession even sooner. I have had instances where confessions were provided in the answers to the open-ended questions I asked. People talk, and in attempts to try to take the heat off them, you
can catch them in a lot of lies. One other technique I often utilized was reverse memory recall.
Having a witness or suspect recall the details of an incident in reverse often reveals whether they are telling the truth or not. One who is telling the truth will not have major issues recalling the incident backward. On the other hand, someone who is lying will have major issues attempting to recall the details. The technique also assists witnesses/victims in removing their emotions from the incident. This allows them to think utilizing their logic more than their emotions. This is a proven technique and has assisted in many successful cases.
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