What are the three zones of contacts?

• A. Personal Contact, Field Interview, Field Contact
• B. Field Interview, Personal Contact, Field Contact
• C. Field Contact, Personal Contact, Field Interview
• D. Personal Contact, Field Contact, Field Interview

Answer: (A)

These zones show how an officer escalates contact with a person from the least intrusive to a more investigative level, while staying within legal limits. Start with a Personal Contact, which is a casual, non-coercive approach where the person is not detained and can leave at any time; the goal is to gather information and observe without imposing authority. If more information is needed or the situation raises suspicion, the interaction can shift to a Field Interview—a noncustodial questioning scenario where the officer seeks details about recent activity but the person remains free to go. If concerns grow or there’s reasonable suspicion of involvement in a crime, the encounter advances to a Field Contact, a more formal investigative interaction that may involve brief detention or additional questioning in accordance with policy and law. This progression—from Personal Contact to Field Interview to Field Contact—reflects the appropriate levels of intrusion and control as a situation evolves.