Respond to 2 classmates

1.Putting a witness at ease should be a huge concern for the officer. This will either help solve the case or not. One way to put the witness at is is to talk calmly, to offer support and let them know that they will be taken care of. Most witnesses are scared to talk and tell the truth because they are scared of the backlash, one way you can ease that is by informing them of persons confidentiality, which means nothing about the witness can be shared. As I stated previously it is very very important for the officer to make sure the witness is at ease. If the witness is worried then they will not share all the information. If they feel pressured they are likely to leave out very important parts of the investigation. Another way to put the witness at ease may be finding the right cop to talk to her, if it’s a female they may feel more comfortable with a female, they may say things they wouldn’t have said to a male officer.

2.Hello,

Some things that an officer of the law can do to make a witness feel at ease during their interview process are to first, treat them with dignity, respect, and courtesy. Start with easy questions, such as their background, job, family, or daily schedule. Keeping opinions to yourself will also help with interviewing a witness, they are already nervous about the situation, do not make them feel more scared. Document your interview, that way you have record of what was said between the officer and the witness, so there is not a discrepancy in the statement. There are a lot of things that an officer needs to do while interviewing a witness, however, it is important that these things get done because law enforcement agents have a duty to uphold to the public, the witnesses, and the suspect, in order to respect their rights, and not do anything to cause confusion in the case. Building a rapport with a witness will also help put them at ease. A mutual rapport will also help a witness remember more details and be willing to give you that information.