Law enforcers must be acquainted with different strategies and techniques that they can employ so that they can better conduct criminal investigation. Law enforcers must be able to deal with different kinds of people, especially the vulnerable population of children, elders and people with disabilities.
There are a lot of concerns in interviewing children. Consent must be obtain from either the child, if he or she understands the meaning of the interview, or from a guardian or parent/s. Interviewers must keep in mind that children are suggestible and compliant to adults. They are also likely to be affected of leading question (Eeden 1). Social service officers should also be present with the police during the interview. It is also important for interviewers to note the age, language, cognitive abilities and emotional state, as all these may affect how children answer in interviews (“Achieving Best Evidence in Criminal Proceedings”, n,d ). For the elders who are abuse, the primary role of the police is enforcing or making a decision regarding the elder abuse case (Payne 164). Police officers must use discretion in dealing with elder abuse. Not all elder abuse can be processed, and police officers must also take into consideration what will happen to the victim.
On the other hand, The Title II of ADA holds that services must not be discriminated against people with disabilities. Law enforcers cannot withhold their services to PWD. Police must recognize if the person has a disability (Gosselin 2006). Communication is also a concern interaction with PWD. In interviewing a PWD or a mentally ill person, interviewers must request for the presence of an appropriate adult that can provide support and advice to the interviewee.
Works Cited
“Achieving Best Evidence in Criminal Proceedings.” Leicester Safegurading Children Board. N.p., 2013. Web.
Eeden, Claire van den. “Interviewing Child Witnesses: The Cognitive Interview.” Interviewing Child Witnesses: Proceedings of the Erasmus Mundus Joint PhD in Legal Psychology Theoretical Course Interviewing Child Witnesses. N.p., 2013. Web.
Gosselin, Denise. Contemporary Interviewing and Interogation. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall, 2006. Print.
