Forensic interviewing training teaches law enforcement how to interview children

ESCANABA — A two-day long training session finished up today, aimed at training local law enforcement and child protection workers on the forensic interviewing protocol, specifically aimed at children witnesses and victims.

Forensic interviewing is mandated by Michigan’s child protection law, any personnel working with a child of suspected abuse or neglect is required to take this kind of training. Participants were taught basic information on child development along with linguistics; this will assist with better understanding how children answer questions and how they speak in general.

“We are teaching them how to use open ended prompts to speak with children so they aren’t suggesting or leading kids into saying things that may or may not have really happened,” said Director of the Child Abuse Training Unit for the Prosecuting Attorney Association of Michigan, Julie Knop.

This training is vital for law enforcement officials to understand how to approach an interview with a child and not speak to them the same as an adult. Asking more direct questions during these interviews is useful, but getting a child to speak in their own words can be difficult at times.

“It is very difficult to interview a kid versus an adult, because there are some things that adults don’t say or there are times when they say things that just aren’t true. You can also put words into kids mouth and you have to decide if these are words they are saying or not,” said Gogebic County Deputy Sheriff, Jessie Yesney.

Although these training sessions are held once a year in the U.P., this one was the biggest turn out in many years with over 50 attendees from around the area and Wisconsin.