Police Interrogation Tactics

Police Interrogation Tactics

1) How does an investigator prepare for an interview or interrogation? Are there differences?

2) Find a state supreme court or state appeals case from your state in which a conviction of a defendant from a lower court was overturned due to improper police tactics during an interrogation. Discuss and properly list the website.

500 words and 2 references

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APA

Police Interrogation Tactics

1) Investigator Preparation for Interviews and Interrogations

Interview Preparation

An interview is a non-accusatory conversation aimed at gathering information from individuals who may have knowledge about a case. The primary goal is to obtain accurate and detailed information without pressuring the individual. Preparation involves:

• Reviewing Background Information: Understanding the individual’s background, their relationship to the case, and any prior statements they’ve made.
• Developing Open-Ended Questions: Crafting questions that encourage the interviewee to provide comprehensive responses.
• Establishing Rapport: Building a trusting relationship to make the interviewee feel comfortable sharing information.
• Planning the Environment: Choosing a neutral and private setting to conduct the interview.

Interrogation Preparation

An interrogation is a more confrontational process aimed at obtaining a confession or critical information from a suspect. Preparation includes:

• Gathering Evidence: Collecting all available evidence to confront the suspect with inconsistencies or contradictions.
• Understanding the Suspect’s Profile: Analyzing the suspect’s background, psychological state, and potential vulnerabilities.
• Developing a Strategy: Planning the sequence of questions and the approach to be used during the interrogation.
• Anticipating Responses: Preparing for possible reactions and planning counter-responses.

While both processes aim to gather information, interviews are generally more relaxed and non-confrontational, whereas interrogations are structured and confrontational, often involving psychological tactics to elicit a confession.

2) Case Study: Conviction Overturned Due to Improper Police Tactics

In the case of People v. Tomasik, the Michigan Supreme Court reversed the conviction of a defendant who had been convicted based on a post-arrest confession obtained through deceptive police interrogation tactics. The court found that the confession was coerced and violated the defendant’s constitutional rights.

This case underscores the critical importance of adhering to proper interrogation procedures to ensure that confessions are…