The Ultimate Glossary of Interview and Interrogation Terms for Law Enforcement Professionals

In the high-stakes world of law enforcement investigations, the skills and strategies employed during interviews and interrogations are crucial for gathering information and solving cases. This article presents an extensive glossary of terms, jargon, acronyms, and slang commonly used in these critical processes. It's important to note that while some terms describe effective and ethically sound techniques, others pertain to methods that are coercive, unethical, or based on pseudoscientific principles. Insight & Integrity solely includes these latter practices for informative purposes and does not endorse them. Our goal is to educate and inform about the diverse tactics employed in law enforcement, aiding professionals in distinguishing between approved methods and those that are controversial, outright illegal, or discouraged.

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295 - Police code in some jurisdictions for conducting an interview or interrogation. 

ABE Interviews (Achieving Best Evidence) - Guidelines set by the UK Home Office for conducting interviews with children and vulnerable witnesses, ensuring the evidence collected is robust and can be used in court.  

ABC - Always Be Corroborating (ixi)

ABC - Assume nothing; Believe nothing; Challenge everything.

Active Listening - Active listening is a communication technique that involves fully concentrating, understanding, responding, and remembering what is being said.

Adaptation - Altering your agenda in response to the subject rather than rigidly adhering to your interview plan.

Admission - A statement by a suspect acknowledging certain facts that imply guilt but does not directly confess to a crime. 

Affirmation - Positive feedback is given to the interviewee to reinforce openness and sharing. 

AG - Attorney General

Alibi Check - Verification of a suspect's claim about their whereabouts at the time of a crime. 

ALS - Active Listening Skills

Alternative Question - (AKA the "Kill Question") is a technique used in interrogations where the interrogator presents the subject with two contrasting explanations or scenarios, both of which imply some level of involvement in the offense (often leading). 

Anchoring Bias - The tendency to rely heavily on the first piece of information encountered when making decisions.

ATQ - Ask the question

Autonomy - Respecting or emphasizing a subject's right to cooperate, talk, engage, or not do anything.

BAI - The Behavioral Analysis Interview is a component of the Reid Technique, a method developed for law enforcement interrogations. 

Baseline - The normal, non-stress behavior of a person used for comparison during an interrogation. 

Basic Interrogatives - Fundamental questions used in interrogations that include who, what, when, where, why, and how, intended to gather comprehensive information. 

Behavioral Pause - A deliberate silence by the interviewer to give the interviewee time to think and potentially reveal more information. 

Bluffing - Suggesting possession of more information than actually held to elicit confessions or information from suspects. 

Box - Slang for the interrogation room. 

Breaking - The process of getting a suspect to admit, confess, or provide crucial information during an interrogation.

Case File - A comprehensive collection of all documents, evidence, notes, and reports related to a particular investigation.

Challenge Question - A query designed to see if the suspect will lie, establishing a pattern of behavior. 

CID - Criminal Investigation Division

CIT - Counter Interrogation Tactics

Closed-Ended Questions - Questions that can be answered with a single word, yes or no, or a short phrase. 

Coerced-Compliant False Confessions - These happen when individuals confess to crimes they did not commit due to intense pressure during the interrogation process. This type of false confession often arises from a desire to escape a stressful interrogation, avoid a threatened or implied harsh punishment, or gain a promised or implied reward, such as being allowed to go home. The suspect does not necessarily believe in their guilt but sees confession as a strategy to reduce their immediate suffering. 

Coerced-Internalized False Confessions: This type of false confession occurs when suspects become convinced, during the course of an interrogation, that they might have committed the crime, despite having no memory of the event. This can happen through the suggestive techniques used by interrogators, the exhaustion or mental state of the suspect, or the introduction of fabricated evidence. The suspect comes to believe they are guilty of the crime, often reconstructing their memories to align with the confession.

Coercion - Using force or threats to obtain compliance or information. 

Cognitive Interviewing (CI) - A method used to enhance memory retrieval of witnesses and victims by focusing on sensory details and context, which may lead to more accurate recall (Memory-enhancing techniques for investigative interviewing: The cognitive interview.)

Cognitive Load - The mental effort required to process information, which can be manipulated to detect deception.

Confirmation Bias - The tendency to favor information that confirms one's existing beliefs during an investigation. 

Confrontation - Directly addressing inconsistencies or evidence against the interviewee. 

Control Question - A question used to establish a baseline of behavior to help detect deceit. 

Corroboration - The process of confirming or supporting a statement, theory, or finding with additional evidence or testimony. 

CPIA - Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act (FBI). 

CREST - The Centre for Research and Evidence on Security Threats (UK).

Debrief - Gathering information post-operation or post-interview. 

Deception Detection - Techniques used to identify signs of lying or deceit by a subject during an interview. 

Dependent Corroboration - When the suspect's confession includes details that match the hold-back information known only to the investigator.

Devil's Advocate - A red teaming technique where an investigator (usually independent) challenges assumptions and evidence by taking an opposing viewpoint to uncover biases and explore alternative explanations. 

Direct Approach - Starting an interrogation by directly accusing the suspect of the crime. 

Disclose or a Disclosure - In the context of victim interviews or forensic interviews, to report or reveal a crime, typically referring to the act of reporting a sexual assault. 

Dry Run - A practice session of an interview or interrogation without the actual subject. 

Due Process - The legal requirement that the state must respect all legal rights that are owed to a person, balancing the power of law of the land and protecting the individual person from it. 

ECI - Enhanced Cognitive Interview (sometimes just called "CI").

EFM - Evidence Framing Matrix (Strategic Use of Evidence)

Elicitation - Obtaining information without revealing the intent or the interest of the interviewer. 

Emotional Labeling - Active listening technique where the listener identifies and names the speaker's feelings. 

Empathy - The ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

Enhanced Interrogation - Techniques that apply psychological pressure, often controversial, used to elicit information. 

Equivocation - Indirect statements or answers that avoid commitment to a truth. 

Evocation - Eliciting statements from the suspect about their feelings, thoughts, values, or beliefs. May be done through evocation-based questions.

EWT - Eyewitness Testimony

Fact-Finding Interview - A non-accusatory interview designed to gather information without presumption of guilt. 

False Confession - A false confession is an admission of guilt for a crime that the confessor did not commit. This can occur due to coercion, fear, misunderstanding, or psychological pressure during interrogation.

False Evidence Ploy - An interrogation technique used by law enforcement where the interrogator presents fictitious evidence or fabricates information to convince a suspect that they have been conclusively linked to a crime. The purpose of this tactic is to elicit a confession or obtain additional information by making the suspect believe that denying involvement is futile.

FLETC Five-Step - The FLETC Five-Step is a structured interviewing technique developed by the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). It is designed to enhance the effectiveness of interviews conducted by law enforcement officers. 

Forensic Interview - a recorded conversation between a child and a specially trained interviewer that is used to gather information for a legal setting, such as a court hearing. 

Funnel Approach - Starting with broad, open-ended questions and gradually narrowing down to more specific questions.

Good Cop/Bad Cop - An interrogation approach where two officers take seemingly opposing approaches to elicit information from a suspect. 

Grill - To question someone intensely and persistently, often used to describe a rigorous interrogation.

Groupthink - A psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people when the desire for harmony or conformity results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome. 

Guided Discussion - An interview technique where the interviewer suggests topics but allows the interviewee to provide detailed content. 

Guilt Bias - A preconceived notion held by interrogators that assumes the guilt of the suspect, which can influence the conduct and outcome of an interrogation. Reliance on pseudoscientific techniques can increase guilt bias.

Guilty Knowledge Test (GKT) - A polygraph technique that assesses if the subject knows details of the crime that only the perpetrator would know. 

Hearsay - Information received from others that cannot be substantiated, often inadmissible in court but used in investigative contexts. 

HIG - High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group (FBI). 

Holmes 2 System - A computer system used by UK police forces to manage major investigations, including the management of interviews and other data.  

HUMINT (Human Intelligence) - Information gathered from human sources. 

I&I (Interview and Interrogation) - The formal processes used by law enforcement to gather information from suspects, witnesses, and victims through interviews.

iIIRG - The International Investigative Interviewing Research Group.

Implicit Accusation - Subtly suggesting involvement in a crime during questioning to observe reactions without making direct accusations.

Independent Corroboration When a suspect reveals a detail about the crime that the investigator did not know beforehand, and this detail can be verified independently.

Informant - A person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term usually describes someone who can supply useful intelligence regarding criminal or other nefarious activities. 

Invoked - "Invoked" refers to the act of calling upon a legal right or procedure. For example, a suspect might invoke their right to remain silent or their right to legal counsel, as guaranteed by the "Miranda Rights" in the United States. 

Justifying Devices - These are explanations or excuses that help the suspect save face during an interrogation.

Knowingly - With full awareness and intentionality.  

Language Style Matching (LSM) - The synchronization of linguistic styles between interviewers and interviewees, which can influence the outcomes of interrogations. 

Lead Assessment - Evaluating the credibility and relevance of information received during an interview. 

LEO (Law Enforcement Officer) - An all-encompassing designation that refers to all commissioned personnel. Includes police officers, sheriff's deputies, detectives, investigators, sergeants, agents, elected sheriffs, police chiefs, special agents, and constables. 

Looping - Revisiting a subject's earlier statements for clarification and further detail.

Memory-Compatible Questions - Questions designed to align with the natural way memories are stored and retrieved, facilitating more accurate and detailed recall. 

Mendez Principles - A set of guidelines proposed by Juan E. Méndez, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, aimed at protecting individuals from torture and ill-treatment during interrogation and detention. 

MG11 - The official form used for recording witness statements in the UK, which can be used as evidence in court proceedings. 

Minimization Techniques - Methods used to downplay the severity of the offense, often to elicit a confession. 

Miranda Warning (AKA Miranda Rights, Miranda) - A legal requirement to inform arrested individuals of their rights, including the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney. 

Misinformation Effect - The phenomenon where a person's recall of episodic memories becomes less accurate due to post-event information. 

Monitored Call - A telephone call conducted by a suspect under surveillance, often used to gather incriminating evidence. 

Motivational Interviewing (MI) - A technique used in interrogation to build rapport and elicit information through empathy, reflective listening, and supporting autonomy. 

Mental Reinstatement of Context (MRC) - A technique used in cognitive interviews to help eyewitnesses recall memories. The technique involves asking the interviewee to mentally recreate the physical and psychological environment of the event, such as sights, sounds, feelings, and emotions, as well as the weather. 

Neutral Question - A question posed that does not imply or give away case details.

NICHD - National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

NICHD Protocol - a structured interview guide designed to improve the quality and quantity of information obtained from children during investigative interviews about alleged abuse. It emphasizes the use of open-ended questions and phased, non-suggestive techniques to elicit detailed and reliable testimonies from child witnesses. 

Off-the-Record - Informal conversations that are implied not to be part of the official interrogation. 

ORBIT (Observing Rapport-Based Interrogative Techniques) - A framework used primarily in the UK that guides police officers and investigators in managing and interviewing cooperative suspects. ORBIT focuses on building rapport and using non-coercive methods to elicit information and confessions, based on psychological research into how best to influence behavior and gain cooperation. 

OSINT - Open-Source Intelligence, which involves collecting information from publicly available sources.  

PACE - Codes of Practice that provide the police rules and guidelines for the detention, treatment, and questioning of persons by UK police officers under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE).  

Paradox of Eyewitness Testimony - Although EWT is regarded by many professionals as having a low level of reliability, it is the most important form of testimony as far as jurors are concerned.

PEACE Model - An ethical interviewing method used by UK police, standing for Preparation and Planning, Engage, and Explain, Account, Closure, and Evaluate. It emphasizes a non-coercive approach to interviewing suspects, witnesses, and victims. 

Peacocking - Displaying authority or dominance in an interrogation setting. 

Peer Review - In the context of law enforcement, particularly related to interview and interrogation (I&I), peer review involves the evaluation of investigative work, including big cases and forensic interviews, by other professionals in the field. This process ensures adherence to ethical standards, accuracy, and the effectiveness of the methods used. The term is widely applied across various instances within I&I to maintain or enhance the quality of the investigative processes. Additionally, research related to I&I methods and practices is also subject to peer review before publication in academic journals, ensuring that the findings are scrutinized and validated by expert peers in the field. 

Phubbing - The act of snubbing someone in a social setting, or in an interview, by looking at your phone instead of paying attention to the person you're with. 

PIP - Professionalising Investigation Programme (College of Policing, UK).

Plead the Fifth - A common phrase in the United States referring to an individual’s right to invoke the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, allowing them to decline to answer questions where the responses might incriminate them.

Post-Confession Contamination - Occurs when an investigator's actions or questions after a confession influence or alter a suspect's memory or account of the events, compromising the confession's accuracy. 

Post-Event Information - Information presented to a witness or involved party after an event has occurred, which can alter or distort their memory of the original event. This effect is a critical consideration in legal contexts where witness reliability is paramount.

Pretext Phone Call - An investigative technique where a suspect is called by someone they know, and the call is monitored by law enforcement. 

Prisoner's Dilemma - An interrogation tactic where investigators separate two or more suspects and tell each other that the other is confessing or cooperating, implying that whoever confesses first could get the better deal. The typical prisoner's dilemma is set up so that both parties choose to protect themselves at the expense of the other participant, but the investigator gets a confession regardless.

Project Aletheia - Project Aletheia is a platform for bridging the gap between science and practice in interrogation, spanning the breadth of law enforcement and the national security space. The premise of the Project is that we are stronger together, that we can mutually benefit from each other’s knowledge and experience. Founded in 2020 at John Jay College of Criminal Justice at the City University of New York.

Props - Physical objects used to create an impression or influence the subject's behavior and responses. 

Rapport Building - Creating a connection and a trusting atmosphere to encourage openness in an interview or interrogation. 

"Read Him/Her" - A phrase indicating that a suspect should be informed of their Miranda rights, which include the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney. 

Reflection - (Active Listening Skill) - Repeating back some elements of what has been said or implied by the interviewee.

Reid Technique - A method used in North America to assist detectives in interviewing suspects. 

Resistance Handling - Strategies employed to manage and overcome reluctance or resistance from a subject during an interrogation. 

Ruse - A tactic involving deception or trickery to obtain a confession. 

SAI - Self-Administered Interview is an interview method that helps witnesses, without a law enforcement officer, provide detailed information.

Scharff Technique - an interrogation method that focuses on building rapport and subtly eliciting information without the subject realizing they are being interrogated. Developed by German interrogator Hanns Scharff during World War II. Note: Scharff's biography is a must read for anyone who conducts interviews.

Science-Based Interviewing (SBI) - An interviewing methodology that utilizes evidence-based techniques and principles derived from scientific research to enhance the accuracy and reliability of information gathered during interviews. SBI focuses on non-coercive methods, such as building rapport, active listening, strategic use of evidence, cognitive interviewing, and using open-ended questions, to elicit truthful and comprehensive responses. 

Self-Incrimination - The act of exposing oneself to an accusation or charge of crime; to involve oneself or another in a criminal prosecution or the danger thereof. 

Sensemaking - an interrogation context provides a framework for understanding the subject’s resistance and what motivates them to engage or not. 

SIO - Senior Investigating Officer.  

SME (Subject Matter Expert) - An individual(s) who possesses extensive knowledge or skills in a particular area or topic, often called upon to provide detailed information, analysis, or training. 

SOCPA Agreement (Serious Organised Crime and Police Act) - Allows for negotiations between the prosecution and the accused for a reduced sentence in exchange for cooperating with the investigation (UK).  

Soft Accusation - An indirect way of suggesting involvement in a crime to gauge a suspect’s reaction. 

SoS - Shift-of-Strategy approach is an interrogation technique designed to improve interrogators' ability to obtain new information from interviewees. 

Statement Analysis - The process of examining how a person phrases statements to detect deception.

SUE - Strategic Use of Evidence or the "SUE Technique".

TEDS - Tell, Explain, Describe, Show - TEDS is an acronym to assist in formulating open-ended questions.

Third Degree - A term historically used to describe harsh or brutal interrogation techniques designed to extract confessions. It is now widely regarded as unethical and illegal. 

TIER Approach - A structured method for tactical interviewing used by UK police, standing for Think, Identify, Evaluate, and Respond, focusing on gathering intelligence effectively.  

Turning Up the Heat - Applying more pressure or using more intense questioning techniques to get a suspect to confess.

Undercover Interview - An interview conducted by someone who is pretending to be someone else, typically an undercover officer. 

VIPER - Video Identification Parade Electronic Recording, a system used in the UK for conducting video line-ups. 

Voluntary False Confessions - These occur when a person willingly confesses to a crime they did not commit without any external pressure or coercion. Reasons for a voluntary false confession may include a desire for notoriety, the need to atone for past sins, psychological issues, or a pathological desire for self-punishment. In some cases, individuals may also confess to protect the real perpetrator. 

Voluntary Statement - A statement given without prompting or pressure, often seen as more credible. 

Waived Rights (Miranda Warning) - Refers to the voluntary relinquishment of one's rights, such as the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney, as stated in the Miranda warning provided by law enforcement during an arrest. 

Walkthrough - Asking a suspect or witness to walk through a sequence of events verbally. 

WI/WA (What is/Was Asked) - Noting the questions posed during an interview or interrogation to track the information flow. 

Within Statement Inconsistencey - A subject contradicts their own statement.

Witness Protection - Measures taken to protect witnesses who may face danger due to their cooperation with law enforcement. 

Working the Room - Moving between different interrogation rooms or suspects, often to compare stories and gather inconsistencies (see prisoner's dilemma technique).

X-Factor Question - A surprise question intended to catch the interviewee off-guard, potentially revealing inconsistencies. 

Yield Approach - Techniques designed to increase the amount of information a subject is willing to disclose during an interrogation. 

References:

Alison, L. J., Alison, E., Noone, G., Elntib, S., & Christiansen, P. (2013). Why tough tactics fail and rapport gets results: Observing Rapport-Based Interpersonal Techniques (ORBIT) to generate useful information from terrorists. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law: An Official Law Review of the University of Arizona College of Law and the University of Miami School of Law, 19(4), 411–431. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034564

Alison, L. J., Alison, E., Shortland, N., & Surmon-Bohr, F. (2020). Orbit: The science of rapport-based interviewing for law enforcement, security, and military. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/med-psych/9780197545959.001.0001

Fisher, R. P. (1992). Memory-enhancing techniques for investigative interviewing: The cognitive interview. Charles C. Thomas Publisher.

Hartwig, M., Granhag, P. A., Strömwall, L. A., & Vrij, A. (2005). Detecting deception via strategic disclosure of evidence. Law and Human Behavior, 29(4), 469–484. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10979-005-5521-x

Kassin, S. M., Drizin, S. A., Grisso, T., Gudjonsson, G. H., Leo, R. A., & Redlich, A. D. (2010). Police-induced confessions: risk factors and recommendations. Law and Human Behavior, 34(1), 3–38. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10979-009-9188-6

Meissner, C. A., Redlich, A. D., Bhatt, S., & Brandon, S. (2012). Interview and interrogation methods and their effects on true and false confessions. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 8(1), 1–53. https://doi.org/10.4073/csr.2012.13

Redlich, A. D., Kelly, C. E., & Miller, J. C. (2014). The who, what, and why of human intelligence gathering: Self-reported measures of interrogation methods: Who, what, and why of HUMINT. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 28(6), 817–828. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3040

Vrij, A., Mann, S., & Fisher, R. P. (2006). An empirical test of the behaviour analysis interview. Law and Human Behavior, 30(3), 329–345. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10979-006-9014-3