During a family trip to the zoo, 7-year-old Brandon happened to come across a bizarre incident. A man entered one of the cages and tried to mount and ride one of the zoo camels. The police quickly removed the man from the camel area and arrested him for trespassing. The police interviewed the eye witnesses about the incident and wanted to ask Brandon some questions. There were conflicting

Question

accounts of the incident. One witness said the man climbed over the fence. A second witness claimed another man boosted the intruder over the fence. In order to obtain reliable information from Brandon, what should the police officer do to ensure the accuracy of Brandon's testimony?

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

If interviewed properly, children can provide useful information in eyewitness testimonies. However, we must know the basics about children's ability to recall information from long-term memory. Unfortunately, interviewers often use suggestive questions when they interview children about their memories of events. If a child is interviewed by the police or another adult, it is important that the interviewer be trained and prepared for interviewing children. One of the most important steps is to interview the child as soon as possible after the event. In this case, it would be essential for the police officer to let Brandon know that it is okay to answer "I don't know" to any or all questions if he is at all unsure of his memory of the facts. The officer should avoid offering a reward for sharing information. Also, the police officer should be careful not to praise some of Brandon's answers while ignoring others. The officer should ask Brandon to confirm the source of his information – to think carefully about what he saw. Finally, the officer should respect the child. If Brandon does not want to talk, he should not be pushed to do so.