INTERVIEWS
Gaining Accurate Information
The fact-gathering interview and process is extremely important for any investigation. Whether it’s a victim, witness or subject of an investigation, fact-gathering interviews should not be approached as simply as, “let’s go talk to him” - they need to be strategically planned and prepared. You should always conduct a thorough investigation to identify what pieces of information you need to explore during the interview process.
For instance, strategize to determine:
•What loopholes, exceptions, or possible alternative explanations could exist?
•What gaps in the investigation need to be filled?
•What interview method would be most effective? Simple Fact Gathering, Participatory Method, or Cognitive Interview?
You want to make sure any gaps are filled with relevant, reliable, and truthful information. During a fact gathering interview, when you obtain any additional information from the interviewee, it’s important that you further investigate and substantiate that information afterwards to ensure its accuracy. It’s also important to avoid a myopic, tunnel-vision focused approach 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 event. 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 hypothesis or theories regarding the event. Never shortcut an investigation when your goal is to get the truth.
