Military Court supports Reid Technique

In US v. Freeman the U.S. Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction of Freeman for "one specification of false official statement and one specification of assault with a means or force likely to cause death or grievous bodily harm." In reviewing the investigator's interrogation techniques (which he had identified as The Reid Technique) which elicited an incriminating statement from Freeman, the Court found that "We find no basis to conclude that the AFOSI overbore the appellant's will in eliciting the incriminating statement. Despite the fact that the interrogation was relatively lengthy, we conclude the circumstances do not evidence coercion within the meaning of Mil. R. Evid. 304. Additionally, none of the trickery which the agents employed appears to have been calculated to produce a false confession; rather, it is generally consistent with standard police practices." Click here for additional cases