Soundproofing Interrogation Rooms for Better Outcomes
SOUNDPROOFING INTERROGATION ROOMS
The purpose of police interrogation rooms or interview rooms is to gather information that can be used as evidence in a case. But what happens when a lawyer, suspect or someone else situated outside the room overhears this testimony or information?
Or what happens when a person waiting inside the interview room listens to confidential information coming from an adjoining room? Sharing confidential information with the wrong person can compromise the case. And more commonly, poor acoustics can ruin recorded testimony. How does this happen? The answer is lack of soundproofing. Fortunately, we can help.
So much time, effort and cost go into setting up these sessions. That’s why it’s a real tragedy when poor acoustics and lack of soundproofing compromise all this hard work by making verbal testimonies difficult to hear and record. In this article, we’ll see how unmanaged sound can get in the way of justice and where it can happen.
Whether it’s keeping distracting, unwanted noise out of the interrogation room, keeping sensitive conversations inside, or improving the ability to hear or record interview statements, there are soundproofing solutions that will let investigators focus on their already challenging jobs without having to worry about these extra issues.
Unwanted Noise from Outside the Room
When interviewing a suspect, witness or person of interest, interviewers want to ensure that nothing disrupts or distracts the interviewee. Unfortunately, a busy police department can be quite noisy and sound can travel through thin walls, gaps in the door, through ductwork or through the ceiling. Sound from adjacent rooms and hallways can break the flow of dialogue or cause the suspect to lose focus. This is especially true during a critical moment when the suspect is feeling vulnerable or nervous. To compound the challenge, unwanted outside noises can reduce the quality of recorded audio that would be presented in the courtroom.
Sound absorbing panels reduce echo and audible distortion of speech
Sound travels through more than just the walls (click to enlarge)
Overhearing Confidential Information
There is a serious sound problem that can arise when police interview rooms are located adjacent to each other and different suspects who may be connected to the same crime are sitting in each room. A suspect in one room might overhear critical information from an interview in the adjoining room. This can lead to suspects figuring out what to say in order to get away with a crime. In other cases, suspects can yell information or advice to each other through the walls or through shared HVAC ducting. Another situation is where a suspect tells his lawyer confidential information that is heard by people outside the room to be used against him.
Poor Acoustics Lower Recording Quality = Inadmissible as Evidence
Most police interviews are recorded to preserve the statements of suspects or persons of interest. Even with high-quality recording equipment, a room that is not designed with acoustics in mind can lead to terrible recordings. Inside the room, sound bounces off the hard surfaces of the walls, ceiling and floor, causing reverberation, echo and distortion.
Outside the room, loud noises from the busy police station cause distractions and additional unwanted interference to the suspect’s verbal statement.
While an interrogation room is not a recording studio, some of the same principles can be applied: absorb or dampen internal acoustic echo while blocking external sound so that microphones pick up speech (even soft or muttered words) more cleanly. Many people don’t speak clearly to start and recordings done in a small room with sound bouncing off the walls can make speech unintelligible.
Solutions:
Fortunately, there are soundproofing solutions available for all of these issues. Unwanted external noise can be dramatically decreased to prevent disruptions and distractions. The two types of unwanted noise come in the form of airborne sound and contact sound. Since sound energy causes vibration, even through solid objects such as walls, it is possible to decouple the wall or create a separation to disrupt the sound waves. This separation creates a pocket of air that can be further insulated with a dense material to absorb and dampen the rest of the sound energy. That is how sound can be prevented from entering the interview rooms. There are also techniques to apply to the doorway, as this is an area of concern too.
Inside the room, special sound absorbing panels can be added to the walls to correct airborne sound transmission. The difference these panels make is amazing. Understanding and recording speech will improve to the point that you will wonder why these panels weren’t installed sooner. Low sounds such as a muttered phrase or quiet speech will be noticeable now in recordings.
Even HVAC ducting can be treated with soundproofing materials to prevent sound transmission. One common problem area for unwanted sound transmission is the shared space above the ceiling, called the plenum. Sound can travel through this area to other areas in the building, even if the rooms are not adjacent.
Confidentiality during police interviews
There is a lot of noise and activity in a busy police station. Image Source: Toronto Police Services
Getting it Done: JAD Soundproofing
Applying soundproofing techniques to police interview rooms is a specialty job and requires experienced and skilful soundproofing installers. JAD Soundproofing has been providing custom soundproofing, sound absorption and sound control installation for over 17 years. We will assess your interrogation and interview rooms to provide a solution that will maintain confidentiality within the rooms and improve the acoustics so that all conversations will be more easily heard and understood. We feel that this soundproofing service will lead to better results in law enforcement and could potentially reduce extra time spent in interview rooms.
Call us today. We want to make a big difference and help law enforcement to achieve improved outcomes in interrogation room acoustics.
JAD Soundproofing:
Toll Free: 1-855-523-2668
Office: (416) 888-0991