Rapport-building in suspect interviews: A survey of Lithuanian investigators

In criminal investigation interviewing settings, establishing rapport with interviewees has been successively found as paramount in successfully resolving a case. In the present exploratory study, we examined for the first time (to our knowledge) perceptions of Lithuanian police interviewers about what they actually do to obtain rapport when they conduct interviews with suspects. Sixty-one crime investigators took part in a survey where they were requested to answer both open-ended and close-ended questions relating to this subject. Respondents reported their employing a variety of rapport-building techniques. Lithuanian interviewers emphasized relationship-based rapport techniques (e.g., displaying empathy, friendliness, or humor) more so than procedural ones (e.g., when explaining to suspects their rights, or interview purpose) when describing what they did when interviewing suspects. Additionally, behaviors not found in the literature as ones relating to rapport, or those considered as counterproductive techniques, were occasionally reported as rapport-building approaches, especially when they dealt with uncooperative suspects. Also, it was found that respondents paid greater emphasis to the importance of rapport-building at the start of the interview but less so as interviews developed. Overall, Lithuanian criminal investigators appreciated the value of the rapport in interviews with suspects, nevertheless, challenges still remain.