Investigator Tips
Interviewing
Conducting Effective Interviews and Interrogations
Jan 26, 2022
The following are guidelines, procedures and best practices that all investigators should follow:
[Absent a life-saving circumstance conduct an interview before an interrogation.]
The Essential Elements of the Investigative Interview
Conduct investigative...Over 30 Free Reid Video Presentations
Jan 24, 2022
Below you will find over 30 helpful video tips on our YouTube page now organized in 6 Playlists:
1. Who are We and What is The Reid Technique
About the...False Confessions: The Issues to be Considered
Jun 01, 2021
False Confessions – The Issues to be Considered
In this document we discuss the primary causes of and contributing factors to false confessions, and the Best Practices to follow to...
Parental Abuse Interviews in Human Trafficking Investigations
Feb 03, 2021
Among the interviewing challenges faced by human trafficking investigators is the issue of parental abuse of a trafficking victim. How does an investigator approach this topic?
When suspicion arises that the...
The Use of the Baiting Technique
Jan 11, 2021
November / December 2020
(Please Note: If you wish to print and share an Investigator Tip with your colleagues, the John E. Reid 'credit and permission' statement following the article...
25 Reid Video Tips
Jan 11, 2021
September October 2020 Investigator Tip
The September/October 2020 Investigator Tip provides you with links to 25 brief video presentations from our YouTube channel - The Reid Technique Tips, that...
What questions should I ask during the investigative interview?
May 26, 2020
What questions should I ask during the investigative interview?
In an effort to assist investigators in determining the type of investigative and behavior provoking questions to ask during an interview...
Telephone Interviewing Techniques Part Two
Mar 01, 2020
March/April 2020
(Please Note: If you wish to print and share an Investigator Tip with your colleagues, the John E. Reid 'credit and permission' statement following the article must be...
Telephone Interviewing Techniques Part One
Jan 01, 2020
Telephone Interviewing Techniques Part One
Certainly the ideal circumstance for an investigative interview is a face-to-face meeting with the subject. However, due to a variety of factors, it is becoming more and...
Personality Disorders
Sep 01, 2019
(This Investigator Tip consists of selections from a chapter in our book, The Investigator Anthology)
While both psychologically healthy and psychologically impaired individuals can be guilty of a crime, in many...
Direct questioning and its role in counterintelligence investigations
Jul 15, 2019
Reprinted with permission from Blue line magazine; written by Philip A. Mullenix
While driven by logic, direct questioning is an art-form that requires creative thought and methodical application
Counterintelligence agents and counterpart law...
The Non-Confrontational Approach
Apr 16, 2019
The Non-Confrontational Interview
John E. Reid and his colleague, Northwestern Professor of Law Fred E. Inbau, developed the non-confrontational interview as an integral part of any questioning of a subject in...
The Hillen Credibility Factors
Mar 01, 2019
Several government agencies use the Hillen Credibility Factors to help their investigators and decision makers assess the veracity and credibility of a subject’s statement, particularly in instances where there is one...
The Forensic Experiential Trauma Interview (FETI)
Jan 01, 2019
Research has demonstrated that brain functions and memory of victims of trauma, such as a sexual assault, are significantly affected by the event, and as a result, their behavior and statements may...
A Description of The Reid Technique
Nov 01, 2018
The Reid Technique is oftentimes just thought of and is frequently referred to as simply an interrogation process - it is much more than that. The Reid Technique is a structured interview...
The Value of Behavior Provoking Questions - A Case Study
May 01, 2018
The investigative interview process in the Reid Technique is called the Behavior Analysis Interview (BAI). The BAI consists of three types of questions: Initial Questions designed to develop biographical information, establish rapport...
Clarifying Misrepresentations About Law Enforcement Interrogation Techniques
Mar 01, 2018
Over the years social psychologists, defenses attorneys and some academicians have offered a number of criticisms of current law enforcement interrogation practices, and, in particular, the Reid Technique. Some of these criticisms...
Factual Analysis
Nov 01, 2017
Factual analysis can be defined as estimating the probability of a suspect's guilt or innocence based on investigative findings. Each investigator uses factual analysis to narrow the scope of suspects - to...
Cognitive Interviewing
Jul 01, 2017
Cognitive Interviewing
Cognitive interviewing is a memory retrieval procedure designed to enhance recall when interviewing a victim or witness. Unlike hypnosis, which involves placing the subject in an altered state of consciousness...
Using Open-ended Questions During the Investigative Interview (Part 2)
May 01, 2017
(See the March April 2017 Investigator Tip for Part 1)
Evaluating the Response to an Open Question
When relating an incident such as being the victim of a robbery or...