‘He was just your typical average guy’ Examining how person descriptions are elicited by frontline police officers

Abstract

SummaryPerson descriptions often lack the level of detail necessary to assist in the apprehension of a perpetrator. To date, it is not clear how person descriptions are obtained by frontline police officers. Worldwide, many police forces now use body worn video (BWV), which provides a unique opportunity to examine how frontline police officers gather person descriptions from witnesses. We examined how person descriptions (N = 207) were elicited by frontline police officers, with a particular focus on the types of questions used. BWV of 81 interactions involving 45 frontline police officers and 141 witnesses were analysed. Person descriptions were obtained using inappropriate questions 50.54% of the time, with leading questions being the most commonly used (44.84%). Appropriate questions (i.e., open questions) led to more information being provided (cf. inappropriate questions), including more fine‐ and coarse‐grain details. Implications for the training of frontline police officers are discussed.