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DNA - A Prosecutor’s Practice Notebook Inventory

The First Interview

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Photo of an officer in front of a jail cell.
National Institute of Justice (NIJ) (see reuse policy).

The first interview with a suspect (either in or out of custody) should be purposefully vague and simply mention that the suspect's name came up during the course of the investigation. If appropriate, the suspect should be Mirandized. The investigator should obtain a narrative from the suspect and a timeline recounting the suspect's movements for the date and time in question. The suspect should be shown photos of the victim and the crime scene and requested to acknowledge on the back of the photos whether or not the suspect recognizes the victim or was at the location and sign and date this statement.

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