Conducting Investigative Interviews: Breaching Barriers with Hostile, Uncooperative, and Reluctant Interviewees

Why Should You Attend:

Interviewing is not a peripheral task that is undertaken in the wake of conducting an investigation. Interviewing is a critical component of an investigation. It is imperative that skilled interviewers are able to draw out the truth from people. Without a doubt the best investigators are the ones with the best interview skills.

If you are conducting investigative interviews, you might have received training on how to detect deceptiveness by evaluating the interviewees’ body language and non-verbal behavior. However, most interviewers have not received training on dealing with uncooperative and hostile interviewees. Before you can begin evaluating indications of truthfulness or deceptiveness, you have to overcome objections to being interviewed and change the attitude of interviewees who are not cooperative.

This presentation will discuss the motivation behind interviewees’ attitudes of resentfulness, reticence, animosity, wariness, superiority, and hostility. Since the chief objective of an interview is getting to the truth, attendees will learn how to solicit information from hostile or uncooperative interviewees.

Areas Covered in the Webinar:

• The desired characteristics of a professional interviewer
• Different attitudes an interviewee may possess
• What motivates an interviewee to possess a certain attitude
• How to assess an interviewee’s attitude
• What motivates interviewees to be dishonest or deceptive
• What motivates an interviewee to be truthful
• Building trust and breaking down barriers when:
• Arranging the interview
• Conducting introductions
• Building rapport during preliminary questions
• Building trust and breaking down barriers by:
• Using the proper word choices
• Using effect hand gestures
• Using proxemics
• Offering a trust building opening statement
• Effectively ending the interview

Who Will Benefit:

• Fraud Examiners
• Internal Investigators
• Attorneys
• External Auditors
• Internal Auditors
• Compliance and Ethics Managers
• Security Personnel
• Loss Prevention Personnel
• Human Resource Personnel
• Individuals Conducting Investigations

John E Grimes
Owner, Fraud and Loss Prevention Solutions

John E. Grimes III has over 45 years of progressive law enforcement, criminal investigation, fraud examination, loss prevention, leadership, and teaching experience. He began his career with the Baltimore City Police Department where he became a detective in the Criminal Investigation Division (CID). He left Baltimore and became a special agent with the newly created Amtrak Police Department Fraud and Organized Crime Unit. He was then promoted to captain of the CID. In 1993, Mr. Grimes joined the Amtrak Office of Inspector General/Office of Investigations. He was appointed chief inspector in 1999 and retired from service in 2011. Since his retirement his efforts have focused on education, training, and mentoring. He is an adjunct instructor at Stevenson University teaching graduate level courses in forensic interviewing and fraud examination. He is an advisory committee member for the Center for Forensic Excellence at Stevenson University. He is also on the Stevenson University Forensic Advisory Board.

In addition, Mr. Grimes is the proprietor of Fraud and Loss Prevention Solutions. He developed and taught an introductory loss prevention course for Blue Ridge CC in NC. Additionally, he has been a speaker, presenter, and trainer at many ACFE events, as well as government, private, and professional organizations.

Mr. Grimes is the immediate past president of the Maryland Chapter-ACFE. During his term as president, the Maryland Chapter was the honored recipient of the 2015 ACFE Chapter of the Year Award. He has been a Certified Fraud Examiner since 1997. He is also recognized as a Certified Forensic Interviewer by the Center for Interview Standards and Assessments, Ltd. Mr. Grimes is a member of the Reid Institute and the Loss Prevention Foundation. He was a former staff officer with the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary where he was recognized as an instructor specialist and a marine safety and environmental protection specialist.

Topic Background:

Most people do not want to be interviewed as part of an investigation. This includes suspects, witnesses, possible witnesses, victims, and individuals with much-needed information. These individuals can display attitudes of resentfulness, reticence, animosity, wariness, reluctance, superiority, and hostility. An interview objective is to receive truthful information to assist in the investigation. In order to reach the truth, it is imperative that a professional interviewer breaks down barriers, overcome objections, and builds a level of trust with the interviewee.

Changing the attitude of the interviewee and building trust begins when the interviewer arranges the interview and continues during the introductory stages. Trust building continues during the preliminary rapport building questions. Through the use of alternate word choices, demeanor, tone of voice, hand gestures, and proxemics the interviewer can create an atmosphere of trust. Additionally, the interviewer can convey his or her objectivity and fairness through the use of trust building opening statements. An interviewer who is objective and fair will earn a reputation that will assist in achieving the truth in future interviews.

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