Chapter 4 Interviewing and Report Writing

note taking

The process of writing down information concerning an incident, event, activity, or statement

What to record in your notes

where, when, who, what, how, and why

Interview

a conversation with a person who has knowledge of an event or individual; it is not an arrest situation, and the person is free to leave

statement

a person's permanent oral or written record that explains an incident

oath

a solemn and formal to tell the truth regarding what one says or intends to do, often invoking God as a witness

affirmation

a solemn and formal declaration in place of an oath, usually taken to avoid the religious implications of an oath

categories an interviewee falls in

complainant, victim, witness, source, suspect, or other person who may have information

open-ended questions

encourages conversation and requires the interviewee to think, reflect, and provide their opinions and feelings.

close-ended questions

require a specific response, usually a yes or no

leading questions

steer a person's responses to a specific conclusion

three stages for a planned interview

warm-up, primary, and closing

warm-up stage

establish rapport and build understanding with the interviewee

primary stage

you will get information about the incident from the interviewee

closing stage

you will conclude the interview

mirroring

appropriately matching another person's speech patterns, gestures, body language, mannerisms, or posture

minimal encouragers

brief statements that indicate that you heard what the interviewee said and are inclined to hear more, and these can include non-verbal encouragers, such as nodding your head

cognitive interviewing

tries to recreate the event, either physically or psychologically, to enhance memory recall

basic interviewing techniques

mirroring, minimal encouragers, cognitive interviewing

trauma-informed approach

A method of interviewing that acknowledges an interviewee's trauma and where an officer uses a demeanor that is reassuring, empathetic, and non-judgmental.

sworn statement

written or oral facts under oath or with a penalty of perjury

If an interviewee refuses to sign their statement, note _________ at the bottom of the statement.

"refused to sign"

interrogation

Consists of questioning initiated by law enforcement that is directly or indirectly intended to elicit an incriminating response; person has been detained and is no longer free to leave

Miranda decision

Put the burden of explaining the Fifth and Sixth Amendment rights on the law enforcement officer

Four elements to the Miranda decision

custody, interrogation, understanding, and the free voluntary waiving of rights

When a person is taken into __________ , their freedom has been deprived in a significant way.

custody

Many agencies in Florida refer to the process of interrogating or questioning a suspect as a ____________.

custodial interview

spontaneous statement

a suspect who is in custody voluntarily gives information even when not solicited through questioning

You are only required to provide a suspect with Miranda warnings when the elements of _________ and ___________ are present.

custody , interrogation

If the suspect makes a clear and unmistakable request to invoke any of their rights under Miranda, all questioning must ____________ immediately.

cease

Juvenile interrogations may only last for a ___________ length of time.

reasonable

report

a written document that gives information about an event, situation, occurrence, or incident

noun

people, place, things, actions, qualities, beliefs

pronoun

acts as a substitute for a noun

verb

expresses an action or state of being

adverb

describes, identifies, or quantifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb

adjective

describes a noun or pronoun

preposition

Links words and phrases and provides temporal, spatial, and logical relationships

Conjuction (FANBOYS)

connects words with other words, clauses with other clauses

sentence

a group of words that contains a subject, a verb, and usually an object

sentence fragment

a group of words that lacks a subject, verb, or object (when one is needed) or fails to express a complete thought.

narrative

the largest and most important part of a report; a detailed account of an incident and events related to the incident

jargon

vocabulary used in a profession that has meaning only to the people who work in that particular field or profession

slang

informal, non-standard words used by regional or specific groups

textspeak

comes from text messages and digital communications and consists of abbreviations, acronyms, or initials