Incident
Investigation -- Tips, Techniques & Trivia
Yes, it does look different! I didn't get the call from Gary
Bettman to investigate the hockey gambling situation so I put
my time to good use to work on my web page and newsletter redesign.
(OK, I had some help from cricketworks.com)
Hopefully, my web page is a little easier to navigate. You
can click on the link at the bottom of this page to see the
new look. If you are aware of any interesting investigation
related links that you think others might benefit from, let
me know.
If you find this newsletter of value please forward it to a
colleague. Use the link at the bottom of this page.
Jeff
Sunrise
& Sunset Times
Was the driver blinded by the setting sun?
During
a recent fatal collision investigation one of the areas under
consideration was the possibility the driver may have been blinded
by the glare of the setting sun. The fact the collision took place
on hilly terrain without any witnesses complicated the issue a
little. The first task was to determine sunset time. In my police
days we carried charts with this information, however, I wanted
a more specific answer for a unique geographic location.
An internet search landed me on the National Research Council’s
Sunrise/Sunset Calculator. It gives you the option of searching
by a city or in the advanced search pinpointing a location based
on latitude and longitude. I was able to get these latter two
pieces of information by going to Google Earth and clicking in
the exact stretch of road and reading off the latitude and longitude.
I
use Google Earth frequently to find my way to remote sites, and
for investigations as it provides a great aerial view. For a few
dollars a year you can subscribe to a version with even more clarity.
Sunrise/Sunset
Calculator
Google Earth
The
Presence of a Third Person in the Interview Room
I
find that during workplace accident investigations having two
interviewers, or one interviewer and an observer has a number
of advantages. A second person can support the rapport building
process, focus on taking notes, and identify any issues the lead
interviewer may have missed. Witnesses appear quite comfortable
with this style of interviewing. Here's an article from John E.
Reid and Associates that discusses some of the pros and cons of
that second person.
Ideally, an interview of a suspect, victim or witness should be
conducted in a private setting. The most important element of
privacy is communicating one on one with the person being interviewed.
Common sense and experience clearly indicate that the presence
of a third party during an interview or interrogation inhibits
the truth-telling process, i.e., it is easier to relate sensitive
information to one person than two people.
However,
out of necessity or sometimes practicality, a third person may
be present during the interview. In some instances, the third
person may be a fellow investigator or in private industry cases
an employee may request that a union representative or another
employee be present during an interview. For the sake of simplicity,
this third person will be referred to as an "observer."
To
view complete article. . .
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