Laboratory research and field research have reliably shown that the cognitive interview (CI) enhances eyewitness recall in comparison with standard interview protocols in a criminal investigation context. To address some of the major criticisms of the existing CI literature, the current experiment compared the CI with the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center's five‐step interview protocol in an intelligence‐gathering context using experienced interviewers and adult interviewees. The CI elicited significantly more event‐relevant information from the interviewees than the five‐step model, the standard training offered at Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.