INTERVIEWING
Did you say props?
We often hear the question, “what about props?”
The only thing you should carry with you into an interview room is your case file. In that file, you may have examples of evidence, photocopies, documents, emails or reports you might need to reference, but no props! You should never use props, or any evidence, as a means of intimidation, and should never initiate an interview with the intent to intimidate by means of deception.
What does that mean to you?
It means walking into an interview with a stack of CDs or reports to give the impression that you have more evidence than you actually have should never occur. That is not the best way to build trust and credibility and may lead to some challenges during the interview. If your subject sees a stack of CDs or flash drives, that may cause them to ask you, “Hey, what’s on those? Can I see those?”
The best way to build credibility - morally, ethically, and for your strategy - is to discuss the means of an investigation and talk about the types of evidence that you could gather rather than showing evidence. This will prevent challenges and even denials, and ultimately, help you substantiate the truth from your subject.
