Abstract: Despite the importance of eyewitness information in criminal investigation, police receive inadequate training to interview cooperative witnesses. They make avoidable mistakes that minimize the amount of eyewitness information elicited and contribute to inaccurate recollections. Interviewing techniques derived from laboratory research are provided to facilitate eyewitness recall. The effectiveness of these techniques is examined in laboratory and field research on a novel interviewing procedure (Cognitive Interview). Recommendations are made to improve the quality of interview training, to assign police personnel to the role of investigative interviewer, and to make psychological research more relevant for the legal system. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved)