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Legal proceedings require a structured process and numerous pieces of evidence to be fair and just. Here, interviews with the suspect can act as crucial evidence. Most courts today prefer recorded interviews over unrecorded ones, as the formal recording of an investigation can make their judgment more evidence-based. Having a clear recording as digital evidence is necessary for smooth proceedings.
Law enforcement agencies require a structured process to document such interviews of their suspect. This process also needs to be accurate and reliable to provide justice and uphold the principles of the law enforcement system. Here are four reasons why interview recording for Law Enforcement is essential in this era:
Secure Video Recording
Surveillance footage protection and security are always a challenge. Detectives and officers worry that their digital evidence, typically kept on a DVD or a hard drive, may be misplaced, damaged, or tampered with. Many organizations still employ DVR-type systems, which record choppy or digitized sounds. Their sound is often robotic, making it difficult to make out the words.
Modern technology, like Linux-based software, cybersecurity software, sophisticated security features, redundant recording, and secure hash, can help law enforcement agencies. Instead of using outdated tools like DVDs or thumb drives, investigators can upload recordings directly to the cloud. Storage on the cloud is quicker and more dependable than storage on hardware. The FBI, DEA, and other state departments are switching to cloud-based questioning and investigative tools.
Evidence for Law Enforcement Officers
A sound surveillance interview system provides easy access to evidence for occupied law enforcement officials. Technology is changing rapidly, and learning a new system each time will take precious time from investigators who will have to spend hours mastering new software. Police officials need something straightforward, user-friendly, and intuitive instead.
Set-up-to-investigate interview systems also enable easy download into several formats and give the investigator several possibilities when integrating video into current police software. They record all their interactions with the suspect, providing solid evidence that can be used by relevant authorities involved.
Catch Whispered Confessions
The newer technology for investigative interview systems allows you to edit the interview to increase sound intensity. This feature is handy when interviewing traumatized individuals, mutterers, or "low talkers," as it is difficult to understand without volume control.
Increased interview volume can also aid investigators in picking up on under-the-breath remarks frequently overheard during face-to-face interviews and spontaneous statements. These under-the-breath remarks can be important confessions made by the suspect or a detail that can change the entire course of the discussion. Digital recordings of interviews is a valuable asset to the law enforcement department.
Report Body Language
The actions of an individual speak much louder than their words. Law enforcement agencies gather the most incriminating evidence from the suspect’s body language. The suspect's body language and facial emotions change when authorities catch them in a lie. Seeing these body motions is essential when there may be a lack of tangible evidence. Digitized software allows the investigators to analyze such body motions after the interview.
Endnote
Suspect interviews can be particularly challenging, as law enforcement agencies must maintain the quality of interrogation. A non-recorded discussion between law enforcement professionals and the suspect is weaker evidence in the court than a digital recording. A dedicated police investigative interview system will enable the investigator to make a detailed profile of the suspect and provide valuable evidence to relevant authorities.