Interview Planning and Credibility Assessment in Law Enforcement Investigations

A research-based, instructor-led training program that teaches interview planning, rapport-building, the strategic use of evidence, and credibility assessment for law enforcement intelligence and criminal investigations.

Designed for local, state, and federal law enforcement, this program provides systematic tools to enhance investigative decision-making and support defensible outcomes.

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Course 1: Interview Planning Fundamentals

This 8-hour instructor-led course covers key topics in interview planning. Key Course 1 Topics include:

building rapport
eliciting a free narrative
questioning strategies
information funnels

Course 2: Evidence Planning and Strategic Disclosure

This 8-hour instructor-led course covers topics related to evidence planning and challenging credibility using evidence. Key Course 2 Topics include:

evaluating evidence
assessing credibility
evidence disclosure strategies
challenging statement-evidence inconsistencies

SCIENCE-BASED INTERVIEWING

Program techniques reflect the state-of-the art in science-based interviewing and allow for increased information gain and an enhanced ability to identify and challenge deception.

CASE STUDY-BASED

Course 1 and 2 center around multiple case studies to allow context relevant application of training.

IN-PERSON FORMAT

The program includes a mix of lectures and video-based exercises in a classroom setting. The program is taught by experienced instructors.

PLANNING TOOLS

Participants will use proprietary interview and evidence-planning tools to support their application of course techniques.

ON-THE-JOB APPLICATION

Participants are provided the opportunity to apply program techniques to a current case, faciliating immediate application of technique and faciliting a team learning environment.

CPE & CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS

Completion of this course provides 16 CPE credits to maintain APP, CPP, PCI, and PSP credentials. Second Sight will provide hosting organizations necessary information to obtain continuing education credits for participants.

GOVERNMENT-RESEARCHED

The Rapport-based Evidence Presentation (REP) Model was developed starting in 2020 through collaboration between the Second Sight team and Dr. Christopher Kelly of Saint Joseph's University.

Through extensive research, including literature reviews, focus groups with experienced practitioners from law enforcement, corrections, intelligence, and child protection fields, and systematic field studies using actual interviews, the model addresses critical findings about effective evidence use in investigative interviews.

Tailored for Law Enforcement

Designed for interviews with adult suspects, informants, and witnesses, this training will help participants maximize the collection of relevant information, enabling enhanced investigative decision-making. It also increases participants’ ability to assess credibility and challenge deception while maintaining rapport.

Based on end-of-program surveys, 94.7% of trainees agreed or strongly agreed that program techniques would assist them in their jobs. They also report this training left them better prepared to…