Third-party mentions and action forwarding in police interviews

This paper examines how police interviewers use references to non-present third parties as interactional resources for accomplishing institutional goals in interviews with suspects. Drawing on 24 police interviews analysed using conversation analysis, the study focuses on sequences in which detectives pursue admissions or other case-relevant actions. The analysis identifies four recurrent practices accomplished through third-party references: testing the veracity of accounts, establishing relational links as preliminary, challenging accounts through third-party statements and invoking moral accountability. These practices involve turns which are formatted as information-seeking or knowledge-claiming moves, while simultaneously projecting institutionally consequential implications. The findings highlight the central role of the epistemic and moral domains in shaping action formation and institutional trajectories in police interviews.