Gang Crime Interrogation

Sep 01, 2018

Gang-related homicides and assaults are frequently motivated by revenge for acts committed by rival gangs against members of a suspect’s crew. Through effective theme development, an interrogator uses sound reasoning...

Human Trafficking Investigations: Interrogation Themes that Get Confessions

Jul 02, 2018

An astute investigator alert to the signs of human trafficking can launch a line of questioning designed to reveal the offender’s conduct

Human traffickers can abduct or lure susceptible individuals for many...

Clarifying Misrepresentations About Law Enforcement Interrogation Techniques

Mar 01, 2018

Over the years social psychologists, defenses attorneys and some academicians have offered a number of criticisms of current law enforcement interrogation practices, and, in particular, the Reid Technique. Some of these criticisms...

What Words Should I Use When I start an Interrogation?

Jan 01, 2018

The flexibility and effectiveness of the Reid Technique of Interviewing and Interrogation is what makes it the most widely used investigative interviewing technique in the world.

The Reid Nine-Steps of...

The Fundamental Foundation of THE REID TECHNIQUE OF INTERROGATION®: Empathy and Understanding

Sep 01, 2017

The Reid Technique consists of a three-phase process beginning with Fact Analysis, followed by the Behavior Analysis Interview (which is a non-accusatory interview designed to develop investigative and behavioral information), followed by...

Ten Do’s and Don’ts for Obtaining a Reliable Confession

Jan 01, 2017

Physical coercion, torture, duress, denial of rights, threats, and promises of leniency are the poison pills of legally admissible, reliable, and voluntary confessions. Obviously we should not engage in such behaviors or...

Positive Persuasion - Motivating the Subject to Tell the Truth

Nov 01, 2016

Positive persuasion consists of a variety of persuasive statements offered by the investigator to motivate, influence, and persuade the subject to want to tell the truth. The information developed in the...

When Co-Offenders are Being Interrogated Consider "Playing One Against the Other"

Sep 01, 2016

When two or more persons have collaborated in the commission of a criminal offense and are later apprehended for questioning, there is usually a nagging fear on the part of each participant...

Interrogation Themes: Five Strategies for Selecting Interrogation Themes

Mar 01, 2016

Identifying the most effective arguments to present to a suspect during an interrogation will help you elicit the truth

A frequent question I'm asked by cops during my interviewing and interrogation...

Making a Murderer: THE REID TECHNIQUE® and Juvenile Interrogations

Jan 01, 2016

In the Netflix program, Making a Murderer, which examines the conviction of Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey for the sexual assault and murder of Teresa Halbach, there is a reference made by...

Interrogation Tactics Involving a Written Report

Jan 01, 2015

The interrogation of a criminal suspect is designed to persuade a suspect, who is believed to be guilty of a crime, to tell the truth. To be effective, the investigator's persuasive arguments...

The Importance of Evaluating Consequences

Nov 01, 2014

During the course of an investigation, and especially at the interview stage, there are a number of questions the investigator would like to answer about the suspect and the crime he may...

Leaving The Room During an Interrogation

Sep 01, 2014

We see it all the time on television cop shows. The investigator is interrogating a suspect and the suspect offers a strong denial. The investigator gets out of his chair and says...

An Update on the Use of Deceptive Practices During Interrogation

May 01, 2014

An Update on the Use of Deceptive Practices During Interrogation
The landmark US Supreme Court decision addressing deceptive practices during an interrogation is Frazier v. Cupp (1969). In Frazier, the Court upheld...

Research Reveals Insight on Juvenile Interrogations and Confessions

Mar 01, 2014

It is well accepted that juvenile suspects are more susceptible to falsely confess than adult suspects. This has been documented by a number of high profile cases such as the attack of...

The Use of Third Person Themes

Sep 01, 2013

I have had the honor of training many students during their studies at Reid College. Following graduation most of them went on to have very successful careers in the private sector, law...

A Quick Guide to Best Practices for THE REID NINE STEPS OF INTERROGATION®

Jul 01, 2013

Within any established procedure (medical, therapeutic, manufacturing, education, engineering, etc.) there are optimum or ideal conditions under which the probability of success is maximized. These optimum procedures are called "best practices." Because...

To Lie or Not to Lie: The Use of Deception During an Interrogation

May 01, 2012

If the agents involved in the recent Colombia incident are interrogated, should the investigators tell them they have evidence that they don't really have? It depends on a number of considerations.

Innocent Suspect’s Response to Interrogation

Jan 01, 2012

The process of interrogation is reserved for suspects whose guilt is reasonably certain. This assessment may be based on a combination of forensic or testimonial evidence implicating the suspect in the crime...

What Exactly is the Reid Technique of Interrogation?

Jul 01, 2011

Part One

Despite the availability of specific information in books, training manuals and on our web site about the Reid Technique of interrogation, it is routinely mis-characterized. The following description...