Comparing Interview Methods in Law Enforcement

In-Person or Online? Comparing Interview Methods in Law Enforcement

Law enforcement agencies are constantly having to evolve and keep-up with new technology to prevent, respond to, and investigate crime. From video surveillance to tactical technologies like drones or thermal imaging, these technologies have been at the forefront of assisting law enforcement. It’s evident that technology has become a powerful tool in the arsenal of policing.

One area that hasn’t seen the same advancement is the method of conducting interviews and gathering statements. Traditional interview procedures can be a logistical nightmare, including travel time and costs to officers conducting the interviews and the interviewees. Fortunately there are digital solutions that can transform the traditional interview procedure, by employing online video interview platforms.

In this article we will review the challenges of traditional interview methods and how remote video interviews can work as an alternative.

The Challenges of Traditional Interviewing Methods

As mentioned previously, the logistics of scheduling in-person interviews can be challenging to say the least. Firstly, there needs to be no conflicts for either the officers or the interviewee, which must also include buffer time either side of the interview to allow for travel. For some, this might be a five minute journey, but for others, this can take hours if the interview location is far away or a person needs to take public transport. This could have major ramifications on the interviewee and their ability to recall an incident in an interview. Known as the ‘forgetting curve’, this represents how over time, humans lose information if it’s not consciously retained.

Not only is there a time constraint for officers and interviewees, but the cost implication can be burdensome. As well as the obvious transportation costs, there could also be accommodation expenses if the officer or interviewee has travelled far to conduct the in-person interview.

Perhaps one of the most overlooked complications with in-person interviews is accessibility. Whether a person lives in a remote location making it challenging to travel, or whether they are vulnerable and would struggle with an in-person meeting, there are many ways traditional interviews are not accessible.

Benefits of Online Video Interviewing

Online video interviewing has the potential to benefit both the interviewers and interviewees, especially in a law enforcement setting where there can be several complications that make in-person meetings challenging.

Firstly, to counter the first challenge of traditional interviews, online meetings are more efficient. With flexible interview timings to suit both the officers and interviewees, there is a reduction in scheduling conflicts. Furthermore, by conducting interviews remotely, you can setup meetings quicker, reducing the forgetting curve of the witnesses or victims, resulting in a faster resolution of cases.

It’s also no surprise that online video interviewing is a cost-effective option for law enforcement. By essentially eliminating travel and accommodation costs, agencies can divert resources to more urgent matters.

By conducting interviews remotely, you are able to enhance the accessibility of the interview process. Online interviewing can be extremely beneficial for people that live in remote locations or are physically disabled. Not only this, but vulnerable individuals may find more comfort in providing testimony in a safe space like their home, rather than in a police station they’ve never been to before.

Finally, by using an online video platform, you can enable recordings of the interview so that there is evidence of the meeting, which can be referred back to and analysed if necessary.

Case Study – Traditional Versus Online Interviewing

Using an example*, we can demonstrate the costs of in-person interviews versus an online interview platform like MeaConnexus.

In this example, an investigator is travelling 2 hours (round trip) to perform an in-person interview. Tallying up all expenses, we have concluded that:

• The entire in-person interview process takes 5 hours to complete
• Total cost GOV (Government Owned Vehicle) = $412.75
• Total cost POV (Personal Owned Vehicle) = $619.66

This doesn’t factor in the lost production time of the investigator while they are driving between locations.

On the other hand, MeaConnexus costs a fraction of the expense:

• The entire online interview process takes 2 hours to complete
• Total cost = $169.20

By conducting interviews online, the investigator can save 3 hours of their time, most of which is travel time between the locations which is unproductive and highly inefficient. Not only is time saved, but the total cost saving of conducting online interviews works out at $243.55 (Government Owned Vehicle) or $450.46 (Personal Owned Vehicle).

Pros and Cons of Video Interviewing

It’s clear that video interviewing is a great alternative to traditional interviewing methods and offers many benefits to its users.

The Pros:

• More efficient by reducing travel time for interviewers and interviewees
• More cost effective by reducing travel and accommodation costs
• Improved accessibility for vulnerable individuals
• Online interviews can be recorded, either as a video or as an audio recording

On the other hand, video interviewing has its drawbacks in comparison to in-person interviews.

The Cons:

• Security of the remote interview might be compromised
• Video interviews are prone to digital manipulation
• Lack of suitable, investigation-specific features

Popular video platforms such as Teams and Zoom are currently being used by law enforcement agencies for interviews, however, these platforms don’t all replicate the features of an in-person interview room. In addition, a crucial aspect in today’s digital world is the security of the data & interview recording. Do you know where your data is stored? Are you confident that no one can access the interview?  These are valid questions for law enforcement personnel using these platforms for interviews, due to the growing rise of deepfakes and misinformation.

But, what if there was a solution designed  specifically for law enforcement?

A solution that was purpose built for interviews, that can replicate all of the features of an in -person interview environment:

• Silent observer
• Real time translation
• Live captioning
• Automatic, time coded transcription
• Bookmarking and annotations

MeaConnexus is a secure, evidential video interview platform that  is built using Blockchain technology. This means that interviews are tamper-evident, so that you will know if someone has altered the material. Not only this, but MeaConnexus utilises the highest publicly available encryption to ensure interviews are secure for all users.

By ensuring that the original interview captured is legitimate you can prove the chain of custody, and whether the interview has been manipulated, from the outset.

 

*Disclaimer – this case study is illustrative only. Costs and time savings are based on hypothetical scenarios and may vary depending on Law Enforcement Agency.