Originally published in PI Magazine, September/October 2020.
This article focuses on interviewing individuals — neighbors, bystanders, business owners — who initially appear unconnected to a specific incident but may knowingly or unknowingly advance an investigation. Performing this kind of work could be a simple walk in the park and a leisurely chat with a neighbor — or a perilous encounter with a potential accomplice.
The foundation for success begins with thorough preparation. The key to conducting these interviews begins and ends with doing your homework.
Pre-Interview Checklist
Prior planning prevents poor performance. Skilled interviewers should:
- Develop interviewee profile folders with photos and relevant background. - Determine if outside law enforcement assistance is needed. - Establish the employment status of each interviewee. - Assess whether the engagement will be hostile or non-hostile.
Locating Interview Targets
Initial target information typically emerges during preliminary interviews. Names, places, and locations uncovered during questioning become the roadmap for identifying subsequent interviewees.
Contact Tracing
Contact tracing identifies individuals who should be on the interviewer's contact list. It is, in many ways, analogous to what's normally done in tracing any and all persons who may have come into contact with a pandemic flu patient.
Interview Blueprint
Interviewing family, neighbors, and associates requires differentiated strategies. All share one commonality: they know the target in some capacity. The interviewer must prepare an effective question-design strategy that extracts information without impugning the target.
Non-Intrusive Background Screening
Background checks vary based on subject and purpose. For neighbors and business owners, non-intrusive screening often suffices — informal conversations with store owners, neighbors, and employers. Modern investigators also use web-based sources and video chat platforms like Zoom and FaceTime to develop rapport while assessing verbal and non-verbal cues.
Questioning Strategies
Non-target interviewing is quite different than target interviewing — the focus is to gather as much peripheral information as possible from individuals who are not directly associated with the case.
### Family Members
When was the last time you spoke to the target? Do you know why you are being questioned? Do you feel comfortable being questioned? Is there any reason why we should not be talking?
### Business Owners
Do you know this person? (Show photo if available.) Do you know why you are being questioned? Do you recall whether the target has ever come into your establishment? Is there anything you would like to tell us about the target?
### Bystanders
Open with: "We are seeking information about this specific occurrence." Do you know this person? Do you recall seeing or speaking to the target? When was the last time you saw the target?
### Law Enforcement
Before questioning law enforcement, verify the municipal and state legal statutes for permissibility. Interviewers must never request violations of ethical or legal obligations. Public records may include incident reports, CAD reports, crime-scene reports, body- and auto-cam footage, and charging affidavits.
Program Management and Oversight
Optimum oversight operates like a well-run assembly line. After-Action Reports (AARs) help administrators monitor program effectiveness through oversight schedules, procedural testing, and compliance calendars.
Conclusion
Skilled sleuths instinctively know that interviewing family members, bystanders, and others is often like taking a delicate walk through the tulips. Success requires setting the proper interview stage and using intuitive skills to capture every factual detail. As the classic Dragnet line went: only the facts, and only the facts.