Module 6

Question 1

First Steps in an Investigation
Upon receiving the assignment, an investigator will typically try to identify the following:

Answer 1

1. The purpose or goal of the investigation
   a. Collect evidence that will support a charge or law suit
   b. Simple collection of data or evidence
   c. Investigate to help with the compliance or an informal resolution of a matter
   d. Help make the problem go away
   e. Mitigate further risk
   f. Other
2. The scope of the investigation
3. The intended timeline for deliverables/action
4. Potential challenges and how they will be overcome
5. Required resources
   a. What data sources will need to be accessed
   b. Special equipment required
   c. Special investigative strategies and techniques required
6. Budget
7. Timeline for reporting

Question 2

An initial file intake will include documenting the following information:

Answer 2

 Client contact details
 Summary of what is to be investigated
 Details of target individuals or location
 Budget
 Timeline
 Reporting timetable and preferred methodology

Question 3

Purpose of Investigation

Answer 3

 Gather information impartially, systematically and professionally
 Document all findings in a way that best meets the unique objectives of the investigation
 Engage in a process of formal inquiry to uncover the truth
 Potentially generate factual reports, analyses and interpretations of data, or recommendations for remedial action

Question 4

To help categorize information, some investigators have catalogued case information using the following outline:

Answer 4

1. What we know (facts)
2. What we think we know (theories or conjectures)
3. What we would like to know (key issues requiring additional data)

Question 5

When conducting an investigation, including minor and serious cases, investigators must be aware of various mindsets, cognitive or external problems that can lead to the failure of an investigation. These include:

Answer 5

 Perception and memory problems
 Tunnel vision
 Assumptions
 Failure to keep an open mind
 Intuition
 Failure to recognize key evidence
 Ego
 Fatigue
 Too much or too little information
 Groupthink

Question 6

One strategic approach to interviewing uses the acronym PEACE:

Answer 6

1. Planning and preparation
2. Engage and explain
3. Account, clarify, challenge
4. Closure
5. Evaluation

Question 7

Cognitive interviews work best for witnesses who are having difficulty recalling events. Typically, a cognitive interview follows a number of specifically designed, progressive steps:

Answer 7

1. Pre-interview planning by operative
2. Introduction. Build rapport between interviewee and subject
3. Introduce the topic of discussion
4. Establish ground rules (tell the truth, it’s okay to say “I don’t know” or “I don’t remember”; subject can ask for a break or a question to be repeated.)
5. Free narrative. The subject tells all they know, in their own words and uninterrupted.
6. (Optional step) Re-telling the story using differing memory retrieval techniques.
7. Questioning. Using a combination of open and closed questions, the interviewer asks specific questions to clarify information or inquire into new information
8. Conclusion. Before thanking the subject for their time and cooperation, or asking if they have any questions, the interviewer asks if the subject can remember anything else of value.

Question 8

Tips for taking a witness statement (read what each entails):

Answer 8

 Equipment
 Setting
 Plan
 Rapport
 The first question
 Let them talk
 Your questions
 Recap
 Write the statement
 Witness to read the statement
 Closing paragraph
 Signatures
With consent, the investigator can audio/video record an interview. Consent means that at least one party must give consent to the recording.