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 an investigator prepares a written statement for a witness to sign, the statement should be:
Answer: Written in the witness's own words as closely as possible and reviewed with the witness before signing
Witness statements carry more evidentiary weight and are more defensible when they reflect the witness's own language and are reviewed and confirmed by the witness before signing.
The 'funnel' approach in investigative interviewing means the interviewer should:
Answer: Start with broad, open-ended questions and progressively narrow to specific details
The funnel approach maximizes free recall by allowing witnesses to narrate freely before the investigator asks specific, focused follow-up questions.
Redundancy in report writing — repeating the same information multiple times — is problematic because it:
Answer: Creates inconsistencies if details vary slightly across repetitions and wastes the reader's time
Repeating information risks slight variations that can be exploited to challenge report accuracy, and unnecessary repetition undermines clarity and efficiency.
A CPI discovers during a case that a key witness has a prior felony conviction. This information in the final report should be:
Answer: Included with factual attribution, as it may affect the witness's credibility
Prior convictions are factual information relevant to credibility assessment and must be documented objectively without editorial characterization.
Which of the following BEST defines 'chain of custody' in the context of investigative documentation?
Answer: The documented chronological record of who collected, handled, and controlled evidence
Chain of custody documents every person who handled evidence and when, ensuring the evidence has not been tampered with or compromised.
When interviewing a subject who speaks with deliberate vagueness to avoid commitment, an effective technique is to:
Answer: Ask the subject to provide specific examples or clarify exactly what they mean
Requesting specific examples or clarification forces the subject to commit to concrete details, reducing the utility of evasive vagueness.
In the context of investigative reports, 'materiality' refers to:
Answer: Whether information is sufficiently relevant and significant to include in the report
Material information is that which is significant enough to influence the case outcome or the reader's understanding; immaterial details should be omitted for clarity.