The term “person of interest” is used by law enforcement officials when discussing someone who has not yet been arrested or accused of crime, but who is still being investigated in a criminal investigation. The police are said to be “interested” in that person. While some terms, like “suspect” and “target” are clearly defined, the term “person of interest” is an informal term that remains undefined by the Department of Justice.
A person of interest is someone the police are “interested” in during the proceedings of a criminal investigation. The police may be interested in this person for several reasons. For example, a person of interest may be considered as such because he or she:
-Is cooperating with the investigation
-Is not directly involved in the investigation, but has information that may help the investigation along
-Has specific characteristics or activities that warrant further investigation
Terms like “suspect,” “target,” and “material witness” are more clearly defined, and even have formal definitions given to them by the Department of Justice. However, “person of interest” remains undefined formally. It does not show up in formal manuals like the Associated Press Stylebook, which reporters use to aid them in writing their stories, and it has never been officially defined by police, prosecutors, or journalists. The term is more of a colloquialism, rather than an official definition.
The term “person of interest” is often used interchangeably with “suspect,” which may trigger a trial by media. “Trial by media” is the phrase used to describe the widespread media coverage of a case, and its impact on a person’s reputation, as well as the public’s opinion. A “trial by media” encourages the public to come up with their own verdict of guilty or innocent, either before or after a verdict is actually handed down. This has the power to jeopardize an accused person’s .