Interviewing and Statement Taking

When an event occurs, for example, a theft investigation, a fraud investigation, a loss, a fall, an injury, a workers’ compensation investigation, a motor vehicle accident investigation, it is imperative to know exactly what happened. How do we do it? We do it through interviewing and statement taking. These can be our best information gathering tools.

An interview is a conversation consisting of questions and answers to document an event and gather information in order to determine the Who, What, When, Where and Why of the event.

The interview should be conducted as soon as possible after the event and attempts should be made to interview anyone in the vicinity or affiliated with the subject, witness or victim. Particular attention should be made to obtain specifics and details.

Upon completion, consideration should be given to obtaining a statement. A statement can be obtained in written or recorded form. The purpose of a statement is to lock in the information provided by those involved and preclude them from changing their story as to what was witnessed. It is a method of preserving the most accurate details of the incident and will also be beneficial to prevent perjury and fraud.

Recorded statements have been considered to be more impactful and are generally considered to be the industry standard. We generally seek to include a signed truthful declaration regardless of whether we are taking a written or recorded statement.