Tactical Field Interviewing

This 2-day Wicklander-Zulawski Seminar on Tactical Field Interviewing is designed to teach and reinforce the sound fundamentals of the field interviewing process for the patrol officer, field investigator, detective, police officer, special agent, or other law enforcement professional. Course participants learn a broad range of cutting-edge methods and proprietary tools to conduct more effective interviews and interrogations in their terrorism-related investigations that will result in more actionable intelligence, quicker admissions and better statements.

The skill sets taught allow investigators to uncover terrorist plans directed at critical infrastructure so they may intervene to deter criminal activity. These interviewing techniques are also designed to deal with money laundering and fraud schemes, which may be used in furtherance of the criminal or terrorist enterprise. Seminar participants will learn to apply interviewing techniques that most often will bring these cases to a successful conclusion.

Topics Include:

Interview vs. Interrogation: A review of the differences between interview and interrogation will be presented as well as the advantages and disadvantages of conducting a tactical interview during a field contact or crime scene investigation.

Legal Aspects of Tactical Field Interviews: A review of the laws regarding criminal interview and interrogation, Miranda warnings, consent to search, and the development of an admission into a legally acceptable confession will be presented.

Counter-Terrorism Interdiction Questioning: This section includes questioning techniques that can be utilized during a tactical interview of a potential terrorist suspect. Baseline and behavior-provoking questions will be discussed.

Physical and Verbal Behavior: Evaluation and interpretation of physical and verbal behavior that could indicate deception during a tactical encounter on the street, or in the controlled environment of a police facility will be presented.

Cognitive Interviewing Techniques: This module includes cognitive interviewing techniques that can be utilized when interviewing a traumatized victim or a cooperating witness. These techniques will assist the subject in recalling more detail about the incident under investigation. Presented in this section will be techniques in establishing rapport and the concept of Neurolinquistics.

Enticement Questions: A class exercise and discussion will be presented to introduce behavior-provoking non-accusatory questions which can be asked to entice a suspect into changing his original story. Careful formatting of these questions is critical in determining the true status of the subject’s truthfulness.

Reducing Resistance: Instruction on how to use rationalizations to reduce a suspect’s resistance during a field interview. Also included are techniques that encourage cooperation from a reluctant or fearful witness or victim.

Obtaining the Admission: A discussion of how alternative and assumptive questions can be utilized to obtain an admission and develop the admission into a confession.

Developing and Handling Informants: Developing and handling informants is essential in constructing a successful terrorism-related or gang-involved criminal case. Information will be presented to develop and improve the officer’s ability to utilize informants as a valuable resource.

Instruction includes a comprehensive overview of a variety of non-confrontational interview and interrogation techniques to overcome the resistance of a traditional criminal or a terrorist operative. Seminar participants will learn to assess verbal and non-verbal behavior, to offer rationalizations, handle denials, detect deception and evaluate truthfulness.

Course Objectives:

After completing this course the participant will be able to:

• Understand the law on criminal interviews and interrogations and the development of the admission into legally acceptable confessions.
• Interpret and evaluate the suspect’s verbal and physical behavior as they relate to truth and deception during field interviews.
• Apply factual analysis to the interviewing process.
• Assist subjects in recalling events and details of past activity.
• Employ non-accusatory interview techniques to obtain information and detect subject’s truthfulness.
• Enhance their skills to effectively investigate ongoing, organized drug trafficking, money laundering, terrorist financing, and other financial transactions suggestive of criminal activity.
• Uncover patterns, trends and correlation indicative of money laundering or other criminal activity.

This project is supported by funds from the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Fiscal Year 2018 Homeland Security Grant Program, CFDA #97.067.