Investigative Techniques

Scenario: While working as a police officer, you respond to a robbery in progress involving two armed suspects at a liquor store. Upon arrival, you and your partner interview three witnesses to the crime. While conducting your investigation, another unit informs you they have a possible suspect detained several blocks from the incident.

Write a 1-2 page paper (300 words) detailing the steps you would take to identify the suspects in this case. Include in your paper the various factors officers should avoid to minimize the chances of a false identification. Also, include the basic interview techniques you would use to interview the witnesses to obtain an accurate statement of the facts.

First thing that the responding police officer should do is, to control their excitability, nervousness, and be able to have their emotions handled and controlled. When a police officer doesn’t have in intact a lot could arise like; a bad shooting, using uncontrolled force in arresting the suspects, or poorly investigating the scene.

Second, the first police officer to arrive on the scene should separate the three witnesses, take each one of them and put them in three separate locations; so they can’t hear each other when they speak. The tangible dissociation of the witnesses can be very imperative when it comes to an investigation and asking witnesses questions that may lead to more suspects. If the authorities don’t keep the witnesses separated from one another the case would be halted by defense attorneys during a preliminary procedure and it would be very damaging to the prosecution’s case.

According to Grant, Richard;

Eyewitnesses are necessary because the rules of evidence require circumstantial evidence (such as that which links an offend...

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...ld be a preceding detainment made and more than likely would confirm that an examination of the offenders property/car. The other way would involve telling the offender he will be in a lineup and getting any of the witnesses who are willing to help, bring into the station, one by one, or using the photo distribution; so the witnesses can go down and pick which person they believe is the suspect. The liquor store is a great place to evaluate the video surveillance, if they should happen to have one; most stores have video surveillance equipped in their establishment.

Works Cited

Gosselin, D. K. (2007). Purposeful Interviewing and Processes. Smart talk: contemporary interviewing and interrogation. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Education.

Grant, Richard (2010). Police Identification Procedures. Retrieved from

http://www.drtomoconnor.com/3220/3220lect02a.htm