Police Officer Preparation & Law Enforcement Resource - Archive
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magalway
03-23-12, 12:29 AM
In the United Kingdom, an interview by a single detective or police officer can nullify a complaint or make information gathered inadmissable. Do detectives in US always do interviews in pairs? Do they have to, legally?
Citicop
03-23-12, 01:14 AM
No, they do not legally have to in the US.
Our detectives routinely interview suspects one on one.
I'm not aware of any *legal* requirement in any U.S. state to interview suspects with 2 officers, but some agencies require it by policy (I used to work for one that did), and IMHO it's a good idea to do if you have the manpower available (specifics as to *why* it's a good idea - other than the obvious of having another witness present - go into law enforcement interrogation techniques and will not be discussed in an open, public forum).
retdetsgt
03-23-12, 07:58 AM
We interview in pairs, but it's not a legal requirement, but a tactic. Homicide is the only crime where we have teams, all others including aggravated assault, rape, etc are investigated by a single detective and interviews are one on one.
The courts generally trust us to tell the truth, if we're ever caught lying in court, our careers are over.