Interview & Skip Tracing Flashcards
6 cards from real Private Investigator Exam practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Interview & Skip Tracing flashcards as text
In investigative interviewing, what is the primary goal of the 'rapport-building' phase?
Answer: To establish trust and reduce anxiety so the subject communicates more freely
Rapport-building establishes trust and puts the subject at ease, making them more likely to cooperate and provide useful, truthful information.
What type of question elicits the most detailed information from a witness?
Answer: Open-ended questions
Open-ended questions invite the witness to narrate in their own words, producing more detailed and less suggestible responses than closed or leading questions.
What is 'skip tracing' in private investigation?
Answer: Locating a person who has left without providing a forwarding address
Skip tracing is the process of locating a person who has 'skipped' town or cannot be found through normal means, often using public records, databases, and interviews.
Which public record is commonly used in skip tracing to find a subject's current address?
Answer: Voter registration records
Voter registration records are public in many US states and often contain a registrant's current address, making them a valuable skip-tracing resource.
A 'cognitive interview' technique in investigations is designed to:
Answer: Enhance the recall of eyewitness memory through mental reinstatement of context
The cognitive interview technique uses mental context reinstatement to help witnesses recall more accurate and detailed memories of an event.
What is a 'leading question' and why should PIs avoid them during witness interviews?
Answer: A question that suggests the desired answer; it can taint the witness's account
Leading questions embed the expected answer and can contaminate a witness's memory or testimony, making the interview less reliable and subject to legal challenge.