Law Enforcement Articles

THE INVESTIGATIVE INTERVIEW - Terms

For practical purposes, it is useful to define the terms we will be using in the Focused Interviewing system.

GROUND TRUTH - A polygraph term utilized to mean the “real” truth of a situation, as opposed to the “perceived” truth.
LIE - An intentional misstatement that the person knows is not the truth.
PERCEPTION - That which a person genuinely believes to be true, i.e., “Perception is Reality.”
FIELD INTERVIEW - An attempt to elicit information in a field setting which is non-confrontational in nature.
FIELD INTERROGATION - An attempt to elicit information in a field setting which is confrontational in nature.
GENERAL INTERVIEW - An unfocused set of questions with no defined goal, such as with a witness or a victim.
FOCUSED INTERVIEW - A focused set of questioning with a clearly defined goal, such as fulfilling the elements of a crime.
STRUCTURED INTERVIEW/INTERROGATION - Formal questioning in a controlled setting of a non-confrontational or confrontational nature.
PSYCHOLOGICAL SET - A process of selective attention where the person’s fears, anxieties and apprehensions are channeled toward the thing which presents the greatest immediate threat to self preservation.