Annotation

The article examines the psychological characteristics of the public conduct of the operational-search measure “survey” by employees of the search units of the territorial bodies of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia. The role of psychological contact as a key condition for the effectiveness of a conversation with persons who may have information about the location of wanted convicts is analyzed. The importance of communication skills, active listening, the ability to take into account the social and everyday characteristics of the respondents, as well as to adapt the communication style to different categories of citizens is emphasized. Typical indicators of the reliability and unreliability of the information received are considered. The presented findings can be used as additional material for the professional training of employees of the search units.