ABSTRACT
Individually and collectively, people possess a wide spectrum of information about other people. Through social media they also share personal information and that of family and friends. Firsthand knowledge can range from what a victim plainly knows to what an eyewitness chances to see or hear prior to or during the commission of a crime. Secondhand knowledge can be gained from intimate and casual relationships, remarks overheard, or quarrels witnessed. It may involve physical evidence such as a threatening note, or something that comes into the hands of a victim or witness by coincidence—a bullet, or an instrument used in the crime. Or, it may be information from an informant that provides leads to the perpetrator of a crime. It is the detective’s task either to find those who have such knowledge or evidence; to persuade people to come forward and volunteer what they know; or, develop informants in positions of having access to knowledge of the crime. Of potential value are victims, eyewitnesses, relatives, and acquaintances of the suspect, informants, and the perpetrator. Some people furnish complete and candid information, but some are less cooperative or will deliberately mislead authorities; others must be coaxed to come forward. The terms used to describe the questioning process are interrogation and interviewing. Interrogation applies to a suspect and a suspect’s family, friends, or associates—people who are likely to withhold information or be deceptive. Interviewing applies to victims or eyewitnesses who can reasonably be expected to disclose what they know.
