Although both interviews and interrogations aim to obtain information, the interview is an informal procedure. In contrast, the interrogation formally questions a person with information about a suspected crime. Interviews are used in an investigation to gather information, specifically objective facts, by asking open-ended questions and allowing the witness to supply the evidence. Police conduct interviews when they don't yet know the answers to their questions. On the other hand, interrogations are designed to extract confessions where police already have other concrete evidence connecting the suspect to the crime. Most officers are trained in specific interrogation techniques intended to be used against seasoned adult criminals. Because interrogations are so coercive, there's a danger in using them, rather than an investigation, to solve a crime: They can produce false confessions that blind officers to other objective evidence. "Interrogation" and "interview" are not synonyms; they have very different purposes and employ very different tactics. Interviews are used in an investigation to gather information -- objective facts -- by asking open-ended questions and allowing the witness to supply the evidence. Police conduct interviews when they don't yet know the answers to the questions they are asking. Interrogations, on the other hand, are designed to extract confessions where police already have other concrete evidence connecting the suspect to the crime. Most officers are trained in specific interrogation techniques that are intended to be used against seasoned adult criminals. Because interrogations are so coercive, there's a danger in using them, rather than an investigation, to solve a crime: They can produce false confessions that blind officers to other objective evidence. Interviews are used in an investigation to gather information objective facts by asking open-ended questions and allowing the witness to supply the evidence. Interrogations, on the other hand, are designed to extract confessions where police already have other concrete evidence connecting the suspect to the crime. In short, the purpose of the interview is to obtain information. And interrogation's purpose is to test information already obtained