As we are all well aware, federal and state laws prohibit prospective employers from asking certain questions that are not related to the job they are hiring for. Questions should not be used to find out personal information. In a nutshell, employers should not be asking about your race, gender, religion, disabilities, ethnic background, sexual preferences or age.
During the witness statement interview, however, investigators are not looking to hire the witness but rather to find out just as much personal information as possible. As we mentioned in a recent post, witnesses can make, break or mitigate a trial lawyer’s case. It can take several years for a case to reach the point of serious negotiation or trial. The issue may then be finding a relocated witness. For that reason, the investigative specialist needs to gather as much personal information from the witness as possible during the initial interview. (We do caution the interviewer to employ a bit of tact as most of the fields on the Interview Intake Form can be filled in without direct questioning of the witness.
INTERVIEW INTAKE FORM
Date of Interview: _______________________________
Time of Interview: ______________________ A.M./P.M.
Witness: _____________________________________
Home Address: ________________________________
___________________________________________
Phone Number: _________________________________
Work Number:__________________________________
Cell Number:___________________________________
Witness Description: Gender: ____Male ____Female
Date of Birth: ______________________ Age: _______
SSN: _________________________________________
Check one: ______ Asian ______ Black ______ Cauc.
______ Hisp. _______ Indian _________ (Other/enter)
Height: _______________ Weight: ______________
Hair color: _____________ Eye Color: ____________
_____ Mustache _____ Beard _______________ Other
Psychological/Personality Assessment: (i.e., quality of
memory recall, friendliness, credibility…) ________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
Address Where Interviewed: _________________________
_____________________________________________
Client: ________________________________________
File #: ________________________________________
www.MainPowerInvestigations.com 718-593-4549
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Filed under: interview, investigator, personal information, trial, witness, witness statement Tagged: | intake, interview, Interview Advice, Psychology, witness, witness statement
