ABSTRACT
The effective and successful investigative interviewer possesses a wide range of skills and talents, centered on the four most important aspects of criminal investigation. The investigator’s knowledge includes an understanding of what evidence of importance may be found at a crime scene, what should be collected, and why it should be preserved; the physical sciences used by forensic experts in analyzing the collected evidence; human behavior and how the actions of the person during the commission of the crime — either as a victim, witness, or suspect — reflect and predict personality type; and interview and interrogation theory and the practical skills needed to effectively interview victims, witnesses, informants, and subsequently suspects to gain additional information, admissions, and confessions.
