NCJ Number
91678
Date Published
1983
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This paper provides guidelines for fire investigators in interviewing spectators at the fire scene to help determine fire origin.
Abstract
Upon arriving at the fire scene, the investigator should park his/her vehicle at a distance from the crowd so he/she may not be observed emerging from an official vehicle. The investigator should also be dressed in civilian clothes to facilitate anonymous infiltration of the crowd of spectators. This effort to hide the investigator's official status is designed to avoid the attention and inhibited conversation that would be occasioned by formal, official questioning of those on the scene. Infilitrating the crowd and listening to conversations about the fire is an important means of gaining information. Asking questions as though one were just an interested party is also advisable as a means of determining if a person has important information. If it is clear that a person has important information, then this person should be taken aside for more in-depth questioning after the investigator has identified himself/herself. Since spectators may become suspects at a later time, the investigator should not disclose to the spectator any facts about the fire. Questioning at the fire scene is advisable, because recollections are fresh. Questions should be short and direct while stimulating the spectator to remember significant facts. A list of routine questions that should be asked is included along with four references.