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Newport News Police Department - Operational Manual
OPS-420 - FIELD INTERVIEWS
Amends/Supersedes: OPS-420 (08/28/2019) Date of Issue: 02/06/2023
I. GENERAL
A. Officers will conduct a field interview when there is reason to believe a person is about to or has
committed a crime or when a crime has occurred, and the person may have information of value to the
investigation.
B. The field interview shall be based on the person’s actions, presence near the crime scene, or any other
suspicious circumstances supporting the officer’s inquiry.
C. When conducting a field interview, officers will adhere to all applicable constitutional requirements
relating to effecting the stop, detaining persons, and conducting interviews (see OPS-403
Constitutional Requirements & Judicial Guidelines for Investigations). [1.2.3(a)]
II. PROCEDURE
A. Field interviews shall be conducted professionally, following these principles:
1. Persons being field interviewed shall be detained for a limited time. The reason for the field
interview should be to:
a. Obtain the person’s identification;
b. Verify the identification;
c. Request cooperation in the investigation of a crime;
d. Verify any account of their presence at the location stopped and other information they provide.
e. The person shall be addressed politely and informed of the reason for stopping.
f. When conducting field interviews, officers shall:
g. Enter the information into the field interview module in the Records Management System
(RMS), recording the circumstances and the persons stopped;
h. Intelligence information will be handled as set out in OPS-468 Intelligence Operations.
B. This policy does not prohibit any Department member from requesting information from any person
about criminal activity or other police-related matters while on duty.
C. Officers will complete a field interview on calls for service and officer-initiated contact with the public
where the officer feels the contact information may be of assistance later (e.g., trespassing, larcenies,
burglaries).
D. Field Interview Documentation Requirements
1. Suspect Documentation
When an officer is involved in the follow-up investigation of a criminal offense and a suspect is
identified, every effort shall be made to obtain probable cause and charge the suspect with the
offense. However, if the officer’s investigation fails to eliminate the suspect and the case is to be
inactivated or closed by other means, the officer will identify the suspect, type of offense, relevant
case number, and all elements of the suspect’s method of operation during the commission of that
offense in one of the following methods:
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