Robbery: Flight Attendant and Officer

Robbery Tanisha Barkley, Desiree Brickles, LaTosha Call, Kimberly Clark, Robin Crumble, Tammara Dimond and Keith Dostie Everest University Introduction to Interviews and Interrogations Professor David Farrow March 16, 2013 Robbery Crime Scenario There was a diamond heist at Brussels Airport involving two suspects, one male and one female. The female had the diamonds hidden on her purse, when she passed through security. The male suspect was actually one of the pilots. The female took the flight attendant hostage until the plane was on the ground in Detroit, Michigan.The female and the male were able to get off of the plane. The two suspects were caught after they got off of the plane and trying to get out of the airport. The two suspects were the last ones to get off the plane and they did not realize that some of the passengers on board contacted the police via cell phones. Interview Preparation The suspects were identified based on the information that was given from the passengers and crew on the airplane. Since the female suspect, Alexis Johnson, took the flight attendant, Lisa Williams, hostage she could then identify the suspect in detail.Since the suspects were caught after they got off the plane and before they left the airport. The officers can set up interviews at the airport to help obtain all necessary information. In these interviews they will ask the witnesses what happened and for identification of the suspects. Before interviewing the suspects, the officers should try to obtain their background information (Gosselin, 2007). During these interviews there should be other officers that are looking at the scene to ensure that they collect all evidence and information from the plane where all this happened at (Gosselin, 2007).Interviews For the interview process of the witnesses, a structural interviewing will be used. â€Å"Structural interviewing approach builds on the traditional interview by adding the following components: rapport building, nar rative description, and an ample interviewee response opportunity† (Gosselin 2007, pg. 71). Witness: The interview for the witness, Ms. Pastor is first set up the day after, so she is able to gather her thoughts as well as get over the shock she experienced. While interviewing Ms. Pastor, she seemed more relaxed as if she only needed sleep.The interview session was set up in a comfortable space, with comfy chairs 4-6 feet away from each other with a table in the center of them. The room was painted a soft color to relax the interviewee. The first thing the officer does is ensure that she had not been injured and she is stable enough to be questioned. After ensuring her condition, the officer established a rapport by using a first name basis. Next, the officer asked Ms. Pastor if the interview could be videotaped or voice recorded. Ms. Pastor decided it would be best to go with voice recording.At this time, the officer feels that Ms. Pastor is comfortable enough to start the in terview. The officer begins to ask Ms. Pastor a series of questions beginning with personal information and Ms. Pastor seemed comfortable answering them. Next, the officer asks Ms. Pastor about what happened onboard the aircraft. Ms. Pastor stated: â€Å"I boarded that plane fine, everything was normal, I put my things above me, and sat in my seat, that flight attendants, came and asked if me and others if we wanted anything to drink or eat before takeoff.The flight attendants performed the safety procedures before the plane took off, and told us to fasten our seat belts as the plane was about to depart. As soon as we took off, a lady came out from the bathroom area, telling us to be seated and don't move or else we will get hurt. I stayed seated and kept my mouth shut, sitting there observing everything she was doing. I was amazed, a women was pulling this off. She and another man were talking up ahead where the pilots are when flying, about something in a purse. After the plane l anded they left, I guess they got what they were looking for.The man came from the front of the first class area. They met up in the center then started looking for what they came for. They tried not to talk too much but the girl was a dumb, and I guess wanted to hurry up and find it. She got the man mad and that’s when I heard them say something about â€Å"find it in the bag. â€Å"† After the interview with the witness was completed, the officer thanked her for the information she provided as well as her time. The officer also gave Ms. Pastor her contact information. The officer also informed Ms. Pastor that if she can remember anything else that she feels would be beneficial, to please call.Victim: For the interview of the victim, Lisa Williams, the officer conducted a traditional interview. The traditional interview because she is upset and the officer wants to get the immediate facts as fast as possible (Gosselin, 2007). Lisa Williams was the flight attendant wh o was taken hostage by the female suspect, Alexis Johnson. The interview room was set up in the security area, a quiet part of the airport with no disturbances, with the chairs facing each other approximately four feet apart; the officer does not sit between the door and Ms.Williams because of the assumption of her not thinking she could leave (Psychological Principles: Interview and Interrogation, 2009). The interview began with asking Ms. Williams for permission to videotape her statement, in which she agreed. In order to establish rapport, the officer and Ms. Williams agreed to address one another by using first names. The officer first began the questions regarding personal information, in order to keep her at ease. Next, the officer began to ask questions regarding what happened on the aircraft.Lisa stated: â€Å"I wasn't expecting anyone to be behind me. It was right after takeoff; she grabbed me by the back and pulled the back of the flight attendant break area. She said she had a gun. She blindfolded me and bound my hands. To cooperate I would get hurt but if anything went wrong or anything interfered with the plane landing she wouldn't hesitate to kill me. † After the interview with the victim was completed, the officer thanked her for her time and answering questions. The officer also gave Ms. Williams her contact information.The officer informed Ms. Williams that if she can remember anything that would be beneficial to the case, to please call. The officer walked Ms. Williams to meet with her family. Interrogation There were a few techniques during the interrogation of the pilot, Francis Drebin. The officer started with a subjective interview technique in order to establish rapport and to get him comfortable. The officer wanted him to think that he was in the clear and that they were friends in order to get him to open up and share information.The officer began to ask open-ended questions that allowed him to discuss his typical flight and som e of the operations that happened on a regular basis. Upon sharing the names of the flight attendants, his demeanor changed and he began to display signs of nervousness. From here, the officer’s co-investigator switched to the Reid technique for interrogation. This is a nine step technique to obtain a confession to a crime. Mr. Drebin was confronted about the facts of the case and a theme was developed on the events of the incident (Layton, 2013). He was read his Miranda Rights and officially arrested for his role in the crime.Male Suspect: From the information already provided by the witnesses and victim, the pilot of the aircraft was commonly identified by both parties. In light of the details of the incident, the officer uses the structural interviewing technique with the pilot of the plane. This way, he can discuss the narrative of the events of the incident (Gosselin, 2007). Because of the nature of the incident, the interview of the pilot was conducted in the security o ffice of the current terminal of the airport. This room was chosen because of the privacy and the comfort feel of the room. Mr.Drebin was asked if the interview could be videotaped, in which he agreed as well as including another officer in the room. The chairs were at an angle located about five feet apart from one another. Both parties agreed to use first names while conducting the interview. The officer began the questioning with asking personal information in order to keep the suspect at ease. Next, the officer asked Mr. Drebin about his flight. Mr. Drebin stated: â€Å"It started as business as usual. We were ahead of schedule. When I fly the plane, I am isolated from everyone else and only communicate with the tower.I can’t really tell what is going on in the cabin unless I am notified by an attendant about a situation through the two-way intercom. I didn’t communicate with the flight attendants or the cabin until we hit flight altitude, where I told them the le ngth of the flight. † Next, the officer asked Mr. Drebin what he meant by the communication with Ms. Johnson. After approximately thirty seconds, Mr. Drebin stated: â€Å"I am sure that I was just giving the crew some flight plans and times for service. † The officer observed his body language because he was becoming agitated with the questions.His non-verbal’s made it easy to see this. Then he seemed to be nervous and to fidget. Mr. Drebin was informed that he was a suspect in the robbery heist and was placed under arrest. The officer read Mr. Drebin his Miranda Rights. When the officer began to question Mr. Drebin, he decided to lawyer up. Female Suspect: At the scene of the robbery a female suspect was captured. She was then asked what her name was; she refused to speak. The arresting officer then proceeded to read the woman her Miranda rights and placed her in the police cruiser.Once we arrived at the police station the female was then place in a small room f or questioning. When the officer entered the room to begin questioning, she established a rapport with the female. Both parties sat at opposite ends of the table. The officer asked her what her name was and she refused to answer. The female was suspect was informed was caught by another officer and the jewels were found in her purse at the time of arrest, there is more than enough evidence to put her away and that she is going to get one more chance to tell your side of the story.She still refused to speak. The officer proceeded to inform her that the male suspect in custody and he is already placing blame away from him; if she doesn’t want to take all the heat, she needs to start talking. She then proceeded to say that she was part of the robbery. The cognitive technique was used in order to gain rapport and start with easy questions to help get and keep her relaxed. However as the questions seemed to become harder, she was not happy and would not continue with the questions (Heuback, 2010).The female suspect was asked her name, in which she replied Alexis Johnson. Ms. Johnson was then asked personal questions in order to get her at ease. Ms. Johnson was reminded of her Miranda rights and she informed the officer they were already read and understood them. When asked why she robbed the plane, Ms. Johnson stated: â€Å"I felt that I could use the extra money and buy everything that I have ever wanted. † Ms. Johnson then decided that she wanted a lawyer present. Summation In this crime scene we found out how two individuals worked together to steal some diamonds off an airplane.These two people were very intelligent, and they did manage to get the diamonds off the airplane. However, the suspects were not able to make it out of the airport before they got caught. The police met them at the door. Both suspects were found guilty of their crimes and arrested. Bibliography The officers can set up interviews at the airport to help obtain all necessary i nformation. In these interviews they will ask the witnesses what happened and for identification of the suspects. Before interviewing the suspects the officers should try to obtain their background information (Gosselin, 2007).During these interviews there should be other officers that are looking at the scene to ensure that they collect all evidence and information from the plane where all this happened at (Gosselin, 2007). For the interview process of the witnesses, a structural interviewing will be used. â€Å"Structural interviewing approach builds on the traditional interview by adding the following components: rapport building, narrative description, and an ample interviewee response opportunity† (Gosselin 2007, pg. 71). The traditional interview because she is upset and the officer wants to get the immediate facts as fast as possible (Gosselin, 2007).The interview room was set up in the security area, a quiet part of the airport with no disturbances, with the chairs fa cing each other approximately four feet apart; the officer does not sit between the door and Ms. Williams because of the assumption of her not thinking she could leave (Psychological Principles: Interview and Interrogation, 2009). Drebin was confronted about the facts of the case and a theme was developed on the events of the incident (Layton, 2013). In light of the details of the incident, the officer uses the structural interviewing technique with the pilot of the plane.This way, he can discuss the narrative of the events of the incident (Gosselin, 2007). The cognitive technique was used in order to gain rapport and start with easy questions to help get and keep her relaxed. However as the questions seemed to become harder, she was not happy and would not continue with the questions (Heuback, 2010). References Gosselin, D. (2007). Smart Talk Contemporary Interviewing and Interrogation. Upper Saddle River: Person Prentice Hall. Heuback, J. (2010). Suspect Interrogation: Communicati on Strategies and Key Personality.Retrieved from ACTR Advances in Communication Theory and Research: http://www. k-state. edu/actr/2010/12/20/suspect-interrogation-communication-strategies-and-key-personality-constructs-jessica-heuback/default. htm Layton, J. (2013). How police interrogation works: The Reid Technique. http://people. howstuffworks. com/police-interrogation. htm Psychological Principles: Interview and Interrogation, (2009). Interview and Interrogation Rooms. http://www. social_engineer. org/framework/Psychological_Principles:_Interview_and_Interrogation