interviews
Fact gathering interview process
A fact gathering interview is extremely important for any investigation. But fact gathering interviews should not be as simple as “let’s go talk to him”. They need to be strategically planned. You should always conduct a thorough investigation to identify what pieces of information you need to fill during the interview process.
For instance, strategize to determine:
•Are there any loopholes, exceptions, or possible explanations?
•Are there any gaps in the investigation that need to be filled?
•What approach would be best? Simple fact gathering, Participatory Method or Cognitive Interview?
You want to make sure those gaps are filled with relevant, reliable, and truthful information. During a fact gathering interview, when you get additional information from the subject, it’s important that you further investigate and substantiate that information afterwards to ensure its accuracy. It’s also important to not have tunnel vision during a fact gathering interview. These interviews are intended to get as much information as possible. The more information an investigator has, the easier it should be to conclude a resolution to the investigation.
Fact gathering interviews should include open-ended questions. You should allow the subject to tell their untainted version of the story. Listen for different words, qualifiers or elements of concern used by the subject so you can further probe those areas of enquiry for your investigation. Remember, fact gathering interviews are more about the subject’s perspective of what happened and should never be about the investigator’s tunnel vision. Never shortcut an investigation when your goal is to get the truth.
