The field interview is an important method of contact and communication for officers to meet and speak with citizens, used in preventing and investigating criminal activity. Field interviews are simple conversations on the one hand, and can be vital investigative and intelligence tools on the other, keeping in mind that 95% of people the police officers meet and speak with are not involved in criminal activity.
Typically, a police officer may stop and speak with a person and conduct a field interview when the officer has established a reasonable suspicion that criminal activity may be taking place, or when conditions exist that cause the officer to question why a person is in a given location or conducting a given activity.
Conditions such as time of day or night, weather, location, proximity to known or recent criminal actions, or obvious behavior of an person are just a few of the factors involved that when put together in their totality, leads an officer to develop reasonable suspicion.
Any officer who conducts a field interview must demonstrate respect for the persons involved. A field interview is sometimes perceived by some as a means of police harassment or intimidation conducted in a discriminatory manner against groups or individuals. But a field interview is a legitimate police function necessary to the mission of the Department. It is expected by the public that officers will stop and speak with people in order to prevent and investigate crimes and to maintain public safety.
A field interview may lead to that much needed break in an ongoing criminal investigation. Or, it may just be a conversation between the officer and citizen...nothing more than a few words with friends.
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