Investigator Tips
AuxiliaryTopics
Legal Cases Sorted by Category
Sep 01, 2015
On a regular basis over the last 10 years we have published on our website and through our quarterly newsletter legal updates of current cases which address relevant interview and interrogation issues...
The Reid Technique: A Position Paper
May 01, 2015
The Reid Technique: A Position Paper
Content
Core PrinciplesBest PracticesResponses to Criticisms The Courts’ View of False Confession ExpertsThe Courts’ View of the Reid TechniqueThe Best Way to Guard Against False...The Feasibility of an Analytic Assessment to Identify False Confessions
Nov 01, 2012
The medical, psychiatric and therapy communities have a long history of using diagnostic "checklists" to evaluate the presence or absence of physiological or mental disease or degree of impairment. These analytic assessments...
Investigating Issues of Intent
Jul 01, 2012
Two recent news events have centered around a person's intentions. The first was the shooting of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman. The second was a White house correspondent named Neil Munro who...
Research Review: The lie, the Bluff and False Confessions
Jan 01, 2011
One of the most controversial aspects of criminal interrogation involves the use of trickery and deceit. While Federal and State Supreme Courts routinely uphold confessions that were obtained from interrogations during which...
Responding to Defense Experts' Characterization of Interrogation
May 01, 2010
In 1998 David Lykken wrote a book titled, "A Tremor in the Blood: The Uses and Abuses of the Polygraph Technique". In it, he advocated the use of his own "Guilty Knowledge...
The Esteem-Motivated Offender
Jan 01, 2010
It is human nature to seek acclaim and recognition. Given the choice, most people would rather be well known and respected than an obscure outsider who is unimportant and ignored. Typically, this...
Civil Liabilities Associated With False Confessions
Nov 01, 2009
Civil Liabilities Associated With False Confessions
Training in the field of interrogation teaches investigators not only how to conduct effective interrogations, but also the legal aspects of obtaining admissible confessions...
The Role of Motivation in Detection of Deception Research
Jul 01, 2006
Early reports on the accuracy of the polygraph technique were largely anecdotal. For example, if ten suspects were administered a polygraph examination on a particular crime and one of them failed and...
Evaluating the Suspect Who Accepts Some Responsibility for the Crime
Aug 01, 2005
During the course of interviewing a suspect who is guilty of committing a crime it is not uncommon for the suspect to acknowledge some level of responsibility for committing the...
Do You Invite People to Lie to You?
Apr 01, 2005
No one wants people to lie to them. Yet, I have encountered numerous parents, teachers and investigators who regularly invite deceptive answers from people they question. I am certain they do not...
Consideration For an Investigator's Attire
Jan 01, 2005
The very first impression a subject forms of an investigator will be based on physical observations -- not only gender, race and body type, but also attire. The desired perception...
Issues to Consider Regarding Possible Suicidal Suspects
Nov 01, 2004
It was about 4:00 in the afternoon when one of our regular clients called and requested an "emergency" polygraph examination for a 19-year-old female employee they suspected was stealing jewelry from...
Testifying on a Suspect's Behavior Symptoms
Oct 01, 2004
Recently, the Washington Supreme Court reversed a rape conviction partially because the trial court admitted an investigator's testimony that the defendant's verbal and nonverbal behavior symptoms were indicative of guilt...
Neurolinguistic Evaluation
May 01, 2003
Neurolinguistic Evaluation
Principles
The outer cortex of the human brain is divided into left and right hemispheres. When performing different activities, one hemisphere dominates over...
Conducting An Exit Interview
Jun 01, 2002
When an employee gives his two week notice to leave a company, the typical response centers around how to find a replacement for that person. What is often overlooked is that the...
Don't Overlook The Person Who Reported The Crime
Jan 01, 2002
A guideline we teach during our seminars is that the first person interviewed during an investigation should be the individual who reported the crime. The primary reason for this is because that...
Screening New Employees: Part II
Dec 01, 2001
The importance of a face to face interview with a job applicant to evaluate their recent past behavior was emphasized in the last web tip. One reason employers are reluctant to ask...
Screening New Employees: Part I
Nov 01, 2001
Screening New Employees: Part I
In light of the tragic events of September 11th, there is a heightened awareness to properly screen new employees. The terrorist=s attack on the...
The Polygraph Technique Part II: Value During an Investigation
Sep 01, 2001
Each year in the United States hundreds of thousands of polygraph examinations are administered. The primary value of the polygraph technique is to eliminate innocent suspects early during an investigation. This greatly...