Current Investigator Tip

Why the Reid Technique is so Successful

Nov 16, 2024

One of the primary reasons that the Reid Technique is so successful in helping investigators resolve criminal investigations and to secure an acknowledgment of guilt from the offender is that the process...

Previous Tips

The Bait Question in the Age of Computer Technology

Nov 01, 2013

The bait question is one of the oldest behavior provoking questions. It is a specialized question designed to introduce the possibility of incriminating evidence during an interview in an effort to entice...

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...

Establishing Rapport with a Suspect

May 20, 2013

We all know someone whom we respect and admire. It may be a teacher, coach, pastor, scout master, friend or parent. Assume that we committed a crime of some sort and this...

Having A Third Person in the Interview Room

Mar 05, 2013

Having A Third Person in the Interview Room

Privacy is considered the single most important psychological factor contributing to the success of an interview or interrogation. This is something we each...

Evaluating Admissions Against Self-Interest

Jan 15, 2013

It is not uncommon for suspects to make admissions against self-interest during an interview. They may acknowledge being in the area of the crime, having a motive to commit the crime, having...

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...

Interview Before Interrogating

Sep 01, 2012

Throughout our seminars and textbooks The Reid Technique emphasizes the distinction between interviewing and interrogating, and the importance of conducting a non-accusatory interview before an accusatory interrogation. A recent legal decision reinforces...

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...

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.

The Importance of Context Within Behavior Symptom Analysis

Mar 01, 2012

Consider the following written note left for my son: "Ryan, call Mom's cell." If the note was written this year, he would dial her mobile phone number. However, if the note was...

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...

Word Games Deceptive Suspects Play

Nov 01, 2011

Properly socialized people do not enjoy lying. None of us invite the feelings of guilt, fear or anxiety associated with telling a lie. On the other hand, we also don't like to...

Good vs. Bad Liars

Sep 01, 2011

Earlier this year the nation was transfixed by the trial of Casey Anthony, a young woman accused of murdering her two-year-old daughter Caylee. During the course of the...

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...

Interviewing Witnesses

May 01, 2011

A witness is anyone who possesses direct information pertinent to an investigation. Sometimes witnesses are forthcoming and fully cooperative, other times they are reluctant to get involved and occasionally they are deceitful...

The Danger of Threatening Inevitable Consequences During an Interrogation

Mar 01, 2011

A recent Frontline episode dealt with interrogation techniques and false confessions.1 The presented case involved the 1997 rape and murder of Michelle Bosko from Norfolk, VA. The following is a synopsis of...

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...

Investigating Attention- Motivated Fabricated Crimes

Nov 01, 2010

Every year there are a dozen or so incidents involving fabricated crimes that make national headlines because the motive behind the reported crime fascinates the general public. Recently a woman in...

Using Baseline Behaviors to Establish "Truthful" Responses.

Sep 01, 2010

During our training seminars, participants have asked about the value of identifying a suspect's truthful behavior by asking questions to which it is known that the suspect is telling the...