Investigative interviews are among the most critical tools available to campus safety professionals. Whether assessing a potential threat, addressing a misconduct allegation, or clarifying the facts of an incident, the way an interviewer engages with a subject often determines the quality of the information obtained.
Traditional interrogation methods, while sometimes effective in criminal justice contexts, can create defensiveness, damage trust, and discourage openness. On campuses, where the mission extends beyond enforcement to include education, fairness, and community well being, these adversarial approaches can be particularly counterproductive.
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Mediation-informed interviewing offers an alternative framework. By weaving together proven investigative techniques with the principles of mediation, neutrality, active listening, reframing, and interest-based questioning, campus safety professionals can foster cooperation, reduce resistance, and elicit fuller, more reliable accounts.
This approach builds a bridge between investigation and resolution, aligning safety goals with educational values.
Core Principles of Mediation-Informed Interviewing
Neutrality
Neutrality lies at the heart of both mediation and effective interviewing. When an interviewer demonstrates impartiality in tone, posture, and phrasing, subjects are more likely to perceive the process as fair.
Neutral phrasing such as “Can you walk me through what happened?” avoids assumptions and encourages narrative detail. This balanced stance not only strengthens credibility but also reduces defensiveness, laying the groundwork for productive dialogue.
Active Listening
Active listening involves far more than simply hearing words. It requires attention to tone, pacing, and emotion. Reflecting back what is heard – “I can hear this is frustrating for you” — acknowledges the interviewee’s experience while keeping the focus on the facts. This validation lowers barriers and reassures subjects that they are being heard fairly.
In investigative contexts, active listening often reveals deeper layers of meaning, hesitations, or risk factors that surface only when trust is established.
Reframing
In interviews, participants often use defensive or emotionally-charged language. Reframing allows the interviewer to translate those statements into neutral, forward looking terms.
For instance, if a student says, “They’re out to get me,” reframing to “It sounds like you feel you’ve been treated unfairly, can you tell me more about that?” both validates emotion and redirects the conversation to specifics. This skill de-escalates tension, preserves dignity, and promotes clarity.
Interest-Based Questioning
Instead of focusing solely on resistance or refusals, interest-based questioning uncovers the concerns and motivations beneath positions. When a witness resists answering a question, asking, “Help me understand your concern about discussing that topic,” demonstrates respect and curiosity.
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This approach can reveal fears, mistrust, or other underlying issues that, once identified, enable constructive problem solving and more complete disclosures.
Why Investigators Should Consider Mediation Training
Traditional investigative training, covering structured interrogation models, forensic statement analysis, trauma-informed interviewing, or cognitive memory retrieval, remains essential. Yet mediation and conflict resolution training adds a critical dimension often missing: tools for remaining neutral in emotionally charged settings, managing conflict dynamics, and sustaining rapport over time.
Skills gained from mediation training include:
- Structured neutrality: Maintaining impartiality even when emotions run high.
- Conflict de-escalation: Preventing interviews from spiraling into confrontation.
- Emotional intelligence: Recognizing subtle cues in tone, pace, and body language.
- Advanced reframing: Transforming defensive remarks into constructive dialogue.
Rather than replacing investigative techniques, these skills enhance them. The result is a more resilient interviewing framework, one that generates reliable information while maintaining fairness and trust.
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Applications Across Campus Safety
This type of interviewing technique has many applications, including:
- Criminal Investigations: When campus police or security staff investigate crimes ranging from theft to assault, adversarial styles can prompt silence or hostility. A mediation-informed approach, however, reassures subjects that the process seeks truth, not condemnation. This opens pathways to more detailed, accurate accounts.
- Administrative and Internal Affairs Inquiries: In cases involving professional misconduct or policy violations, neutrality is critical. Mediation principles reduce perceptions of bias and encourage employees to provide candid accounts. By emphasizing fairness, investigators protect both the process and the institution’s credibility.
- Workplace Investigations: Allegations of harassment or inappropriate behavior within a campus workplace require sensitivity. Active listening and reframing techniques help uncover root causes while ensuring employees feel respected, even when facing difficult questions.
- Policy and Compliance Reviews: When reviewing compliance with safety protocols or ethical codes, interviewers benefit from framing the process as an opportunity to understand, not penalize. Interest based questioning helps identify systemic challenges rather than stopping at surface level blame.
- Student Conduct Hearings: Student conduct interviews are a defining application of this method. Students often enter these conversations anxious and defensive. Mediation-informed interviewing shifts the focus from punitive interrogation to constructive dialogue. Techniques such as reframing accusatory questions and exploring underlying motivations encourage students to reflect, accept responsibility, and grow. This supports both justice and the educational mission.
- Behavioral Threat Assessment: Perhaps the most sensitive context is threat assessment. Here, subjects may not have committed crimes but exhibit behaviors that raise concern. Neutrality, active listening, and reframing become vital tools for uncovering grievances, unmet needs, or perceptions of injustice that could escalate into risk. By applying mediation informed techniques, interviewers not only gather richer information but also create opportunities for intervention and prevention before harm occurs.
Example: Student Conduct Context
Consider a student accused of a code of conduct violation. A traditional interview might begin with “Why did you break this rule?” — a confrontational start likely to spark defensiveness.
A mediation-informed interviewer instead might say, “Help me understand what was happening for you in that moment.” This framing acknowledges the allegation while inviting reflection.
The result is more than fact finding; it becomes an opportunity for accountability and growth, aligning safety enforcement with education.
Lessons Learned and Key Takeaways
- Neutrality builds trust. Impartial phrasing and tone reduce defensiveness and increase openness.
- Listening creates candor. Active listening validates emotion and promotes fuller accounts.
- Reframing reduces conflict. Turning charged language into constructive dialogue keeps conversations productive.
- Interests reveal motivations. Curiosity about underlying concerns provides insight and fosters cooperation.
- Campus contexts demand sensitivity. Whether in threat assessment, misconduct, or policy review, mediation informed interviewing strengthens fairness and credibility.
Mediation-Informed Interviewing Provides Balance
Campus safety professionals face the unique challenge of balancing investigative responsibilities with the educational mission of higher education. Mediation-informed interviewing provides a framework that respects both needs. By applying neutrality, active listening, reframing, and interest based questioning, investigators not only uncover facts but also foster accountability, growth, and community trust.
This approach does not dilute investigative rigor, it strengthens it. By reducing resistance, enhancing cooperation, and uncovering deeper truths, mediation informed interviewing makes interviews more effective, humane, and aligned with the values of campus safety.
Captain Don DiStefano serves as a Public Safety Administrator at Quinnipiac University, where he applies mediation informed practices to internal affairs, student conduct investigations, and behavioral threat assessments. He has 40 years experience in law enforcement and higher education public safety.
