A field study of police officers' use of the cognitive interview before and after training

Abstract

Witness interviewing practices were examined in a sample of interviews (N=80) from Canadian police officers. Specifically, interviews were analyzed to determine whether (and to what extent) a cognitive interviewing course improved officers’ interviewing practices. Interviews conducted by trained investigators generally contained better interviewing behaviours than those conducted by un-trained investigators. Most importantly, trained investigators displayed approximately double the amount of engage and explain behaviours than those who were un-trained. In addition, trained investigators asked more appropriate question types, and fewer inappropriate questions than investigators who were un-trained. The implications for implementing this cognitive interview training are discussed.