When interviewing a witness, what should you avoid?

When interviewing a witness, it is vital to create an environment that encourages openness and thoroughness in their responses. While closed questions—those that typically elicit a 'yes' or 'no' answer—can serve a purpose, they often limit the depth of information a witness can provide. Open-ended questions, on the other hand, prompt the witness to share more detailed accounts, providing valuable insights that could aid in the investigation.

Closed questions tend to restrict the witness's ability to elaborate on their experiences or observations, which could result in missing crucial details. Therefore, while closed questions can sometimes be part of an interview strategy, over-reliance on them can hinder a comprehensive understanding of the situation being reported. This makes avoiding predominantly closed questions critical to effective police report writing and investigative practices.