Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Practice Exam

What is the primary goal of conducting an interview during an investigation?

1. To collect opinions and make assumptions

2. To collect facts and establish what occurred

3. To gather hearsay and build a narrative

4. To acquire evidence and pursue suspects

The correct answer is: To collect facts and establish what occurred

The primary goal of conducting an interview during an investigation is to collect facts and establish what occurred. Interviews serve as a crucial method for obtaining detailed information directly from individuals who may have knowledge related to the investigation. This factual information provides a foundation for understanding the events in question, facilitating the reconstruction of the timeline and context surrounding the incident. By focusing on the facts, investigators can identify patterns, corroborate accounts, and refine their direction in the investigation based on the insights gathered from the interview. Collecting opinions and making assumptions is not the focus of an efficient investigative interview; rather, the aim is to rely on factual information that can be substantiated. Similarly, while gathering hearsay might lead to a narrative, it does not contribute reliably to an accurate representation of the incident. Instead, evidence acquisition and suspect identification are outcomes of an investigation but are not the primary objectives of the interview process itself—these are achieved through the corroboration of facts and comprehensive examination of the gathered information.