Communication & Documentation Skills Flashcards
7 cards from real CPI practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Communication & Documentation Skills flashcards as text
When documenting a scene, an investigator should use measurements and photographs together because:
Answer: Photographs provide context while measurements establish precise spatial relationships
Photographs capture visual context while measurements provide objective spatial data, and together they create a complete, defensible scene record.
Which interviewing technique involves repeating the witness's own words back to them to encourage elaboration?
Answer: Active listening with mirroring
Mirroring — repeating key words or phrases — is an active listening technique that signals engagement and prompts the witness to continue elaborating.
In a formal investigative report, hearsay information should be:
Answer: Clearly attributed to its source and identified as unverified
Hearsay must be attributed to its source and labeled as unverified so the reader understands its evidentiary limitations.
A surveillance log entry should include all of the following EXCEPT:
Answer: The investigator's personal opinions about the subject's character
Surveillance logs must contain objective, factual observations; personal opinions about a subject's character are irrelevant and undermine report credibility.
When presenting findings to legal counsel, a CPI should prioritize:
Answer: Providing complete, accurate information including findings that may be unfavorable
A professional investigator must present complete and accurate findings to counsel, including unfavorable information that may affect legal strategy.
The primary reason an investigator should avoid leading questions during witness interviews is that they:
Answer: Can contaminate the witness's memory and produce unreliable information
Leading questions suggest the desired answer and can distort or contaminate what the witness independently recalls.
Authentication of a digital document for inclusion in an investigative report typically requires:
Answer: Establishing a hash value or digital signature to verify the file has not been altered
Cryptographic hash values (such as MD5 or SHA-256) verify that a digital file's contents have not changed since it was collected.