Eb,
If you could please bind a single copy of this text to be placed within the watch library, I will personally repay any expense. Thank you.
*signed* Pvt. Lockwood
"Approaches to Effective Interrogation"
Forward
This is not a dogmatic text. Instead, think of it as a rough guideline of approaches that I have found to bear the most fruit when trying to get a confession from a suspect. It has been my experience that taking the time to consider the three essential steps I outline in this text proves to, at the very least, cause no harm and often can work out well for establishing a solid case and conviction in trial.
Step One: Categorize Your Suspects Behavior
Generally, after any arrest you'll find that your suspect will fit into two basic categories of immediate behavior. The first is much easier to work with, while the second takes considerable patience and practice to learn how to deal with. Essentially, the groups are cooperative and uncooperative.
The cooperative suspect is typically very apologetic. They will speak in a hurried manner, and never seems to have a loss for questions. Despite first inclination, dealing with the cooperative suspect is not always best done with kind words. The most important thing to establish is that you are in control. Reassure the suspect by letting him know that justice will be served, but also do not be afraid to intimidate him a little, with threats of harsh consequences. Often you will find that these threats alone will lead the suspect to defend his crime on a moral grounding rather then a legal one, and you will have your confession. Even if this confession is not obtained, you have still sewed the seeds of doubt in the suspects mind and a nervous defendant on trials much less convincing then a confident one.
On the other side of the spectrum, one must show the most restraint when dealing with the uncooperative suspect. These suspects are easily categorized by their propensity toward outrage and refusal to answer questions. They often make outrageous demands of you as a watchman and complain of injustices. When dealing with the uncooperative suspect, one should not focus on establishing that you are in control. It is not going to work, the uncooperative suspect will never suddenly shift bow to your authority except for the rare case when you resort to violent methods, but as these instances are rare, we will focus on the general approach (more on violence further in the text). I've found that instead of establishing any sense of control with these suspects, it is best to remove all appearance of it entirely. This is best achieved by listening to the suspect and ignoring him entirely, asking meaningless questions and then best of all, walking away in the middle of one of his tyrants. Let it really sink in to the suspect that nothing he does or says will make a difference, you'll find this to be surprisingly good at calming them. When you finally do approach them and begin your questioning, be frank and honest at all times. Let them know the severity of the crime and the typical punishment for it. Offer them a bargain, whether you hold to your end or not, let them feel that there are ways out of the situation through compromise.
The one thing you must avoid beyond all else when dealing with the uncooperative suspect is answering their questions. Remember you are not on trial here, do your best to ignore the millions of things the will bring up and try to fluster you with. Remain calm, collected.
Step Two: Create The Illusion Of An Air Tight Case
There is nothing more damaging to an interrogation then a suspect that feels like he can find the loophole. The best way to do this is to only arrest people who have actually broken the law and to have witnesses and pieces of evidence. However, since we as watchmen do not always know for certain (if we did there would be no need for trial) and evidence is often hard to collect and find, you must be able to rely on illusion when you have to.
In my mind, there is nothing wrong with lying to a suspect as long as the truth eventually becomes the basis of the case either in trial or when issuing the fine. The easiest lie to tell is of the non existent witness that saw everything and has already issued a statement. Depending on where the crime actually took place, there could be as many of these fake witnesses as you'd like but avoid becoming unbelievable. What works even more effectively then this is in the case where two suspects are brought in at the same time. Isolate them and wait for some time, finally when you approach them immediately tell them that the other has confessed. However, one is not always so lucky as to get two criminals at once.
When lying will not work, sometimes the best way to present the illusion of an airtight case is to not present any case at all. This works quite well in the instance of trials. Explain that a trial will be conducted, and that you will present your case there. This undoubtedly leads to questions of evidence and such from the suspect. A simple response, "you will see in the trial, I am confident we will get a conviction," will go a very long way to creating doubt in the mind of the suspect.
Step Three: The Moral Loophole
In order to get a conviction in trial you need to know exactly which boundaries the suspect crossed and exactly how to hammer on these crossings. We are lucky in the watch that the laws a generally vague in nature, allowing for sweeping interpretations. The important thing to do is to make the most solid case you can for the interpretation you choose. Know the law and never become moral in your case.
However, when dealing with suspects, both uncooperative and cooperative, an effective means of establishing a confession is the moral loophole tactic. When applicable, this tactic is nearly always successful. In this tactic, the watch member feigns moral a grounding for justification for disobedience of the law and works with the suspect to establish a reasoning behind the actions. An example of this would be to tell a man who stole bread to feed his family that you understand why he would do that, and explain to him that in his situation you might do the very same. Explain that, while your job dictates you fine him, or bring him to trial, morality is surely on his side. What you are trying to achieve here is the establishment of the suspect defending his actions rather then denying them altogether. This is, in its very nature, a confession of wrong doing.
Notes On Violence:
Violent action against a suspect rarely works to do anything but make the suspect more defiant. It is nearly impossible to beat a confession out of someone, and thus violence should not be seen as a means to an end. There are a few exceptions, however. Violence works surprisingly well when done in a pairing tactic, where one officer uses the whip and the other offers a carrot. Suspects have a tendency to open up to those that they see as being their to help, thus the watch member that pulls the other out of the beating and threatens to go to the sheriff with a reprimand is immediately seen as someone the suspect can trust.
The only other time violence should be considered is as a form of punishment, not a means to a confession. When the law is clearly in your hands, and you have all the evidence for a rock solid case, and yet your suspect continues to not only show no remorse but also to mock the letter of the law, a few blows will go a long way to remind the suspect that he does not want to end up back in that cell again. This should never be done in the case of a suspect being brought to trial, only those who are to be released with fine or time served. This method works to make the suspect think twice about breaking the law next time, especially when you add threats of more harsh punishments should they ever land themselves in a cell again.
Why We Are Here
As a member of the watch your job is not to get convictions, it is not to interpret the law, it is not to feel strongly one way or the other about the people you are interrogating. When dealing with criminals, your job as a watchman is to see that justice is served and the letter of the law upheld. Do not let yourself get too invested in any case, because whatever ends up happening in trial or otherwise, you can do nothing but your job and that is all that will ever be asked of you. Uphold the letter, leave the interpretation to others.
-Pvt Ian Lockwood