Blog 2 - 'Getting the truth' - Police Invterviewing - New

What do you think of when you hear the word micro culture? You wouldn't be wrong if you said a smaller culture group that exists in a society. A specialized subgroup, marked with their own languages,ethos and rule expectations, that permeate differentiated industrial societies.We use the term subculture to refer to a whole way of life way of life found within a larger society. These are usually ethnic groups made up from people from around the world. Micro cultures are are similar to subcultures in that they exist inside larger, complex societies. They do differ though as they do not define a whole way of life. Every day we are constantly interacting with different micro cultures, whether it be at work or at college or at your local shops. For example: a sever, will wear a certain type of clothing to suit that restaurants requirements, they will often speak in a polite manor. Other groups could include such things as sports teams, church groups and nursing home residents.
 

'Getting the truth' is written by Cole Akeson's Ethnography about Police detectives and the art of interviewing a suspect. My own sister is in the Police force back in England and has had to interview many people in her time there. I have often wanted to know about the art of interviewing, with what can and cant be asked, and obviously the best way of getting information from a potential suspect.

Cole Akeson said that the reason he had wanted to find out about Police detectives and the art of interviewing a suspect was because many members of his family were either in the Police force or the Civil Services and he was interested in social power.He decided to conduct seven one hour sessions in order do his ethnography.

Interviewing a suspect is a lot more complex then you would think, there are many hours that go into preparing an interview. This is because a detective much collect as much information about the crime as possible to go to the suspect with. A statement received by the person/people involved/ witnesses  can prove to be the most important evidence. This is a necessary procedure.

A statement of confession is the best form of evidence any detective can want, but getting it is usually a lot harder as many criminals do not wish to own up to their crimes.To interview someone successfully, a detectives must spend time preparing for the interview depending on the nature of the crime.

In person Crimes which are crimes involving humans, the police will interview the victim first. This is because they will usually be the most honesty and it will be fresh in their minds, compared to a criminal who  will be trying to lie his way through the truth. Detectives must follow procedures when interviewing a suspect; this is for legal reasons. If they do not follow the legal requirements, then in a lot of cases, it can result in the case being thrown out of court.

During an open investigation (before anyone has been arrested), the right to question someone is voluntary. The detective can only ask questions until the person being interviewed wishes not to answer anymore. In this situation, the detective  whether they have enough evidence to arrest the person or let them go free. If the detective wants to continue the questioning without voluntary consent, then he or she must place the suspect under arrest.

Cole Akeson insists that detective must not force a statement out of a suspect forcefully, by threats, physical abuse or promises that will not be followed through. Video or audio tapes are frequently used to help maintain that all the right procedures were taken as well as extra proof of evidence
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In the picture above, the detective shall usually explain why the person is there and inform them of the evidence they have pinning that person to the crime. This is just one of many steps that Police can use when trying to gather information. 

Detectives will usually try and relate to the suspect they are having trouble with by acting as though they are wanting to help them. They will then try and find out where information is missing in the story which is being told by the suspect and piece it all together. This can help determining the detectives mind if the suspect is guilty. For example; a suspect might be moaning about his wife who was apparently beaten up by the suspect in question. what the detective might do is relate and pretend to moan about his own wife. This way they appear to be creating a common ground. This allows the detective to relate and use that leverage to apply pressure and guide the suspect in the direction to where the detective wants him to go.

Detectives will often try and read a suspect by listening for behavioral indicators in both body and verbal language.
1. If a suspect holds a very rigid overall demeanor and position at all times, it usually means that he is familiar with police techniques and is seeking to evade reading.
2. Constant moving of eyes when talking usually shows signs that the suspect is lying
3. looking up usually shows signs that they are thinking up a good lie.

Detectives are usually looking out for the "Sigh" a suspect gives when he has given up trying to lie and becomes ready to confess. They shall usually sigh, the  shoulder and neck relax and drop and sometimes it can be followed by a personal story which explains why this person is in the situation they are in. The officer will give positive reinforcement to the suspect to get him to carry on telling his story.

The ethnography of a police detective while he is performing the art of Interrogating can be a long and stressful process. There are many countless hours and techniques that go into getting a confession out of a suspect, and many rules must be followed. As with many jobs, the more experience you have interviewing, the more you are able to read people and get the information out of them.This is something that will take many years of learning and practicing to perfect.

Although it can be a stressful process interviewing a suspect, you should never get wound up get angry in front of the suspect. Detectives will always perform techniques that will come across as non judgmental and allow a positive relationship with an interviewee. It i only a matter of time, that a suspect will become comfortable with their surroundings and open up more to the detective.



The video below is just a fun clip taken from the film "The other Guys" in which two detectives are deciding on how to interview a suspect and they have decided to go about it doing good cop, bad cop.It is a funny scene so shouldn't be taken too seriously.