It should be no surprise by now that there are cases of wrongful conviction that have occurred as a direct result of false or coerced confessions.  The statistics show that false or coerced confessions are responsible for 25% of the wrongful convictions overturned using DNA evidence.  What continues to amaze me is how no one accepts the responsibility for the root cause – training, faulty training, or the lack thereof.

In the last couple of weeks, I’ve read several accounts of false confession cases and in several of those reports, the question of the techniques the interrogators used was discussed.  The answers given by the interrogators, their agencies, and the trainers all had the same theme – it’s not our fault.

I read responses such as “He wouldn’t have confessed if he weren’t guilty.” “They didn’t use our technique correctly.” “We don’t interrogate innocent people.” “Innocent people don’t confess.”

Appalling attitude!  What hubris!!

I’ll say it again… the greatest risk to any interview is the “Interrogation Assassin.”  His real name is “pre-conception” and hubris is his birthright.

Just my opinion…

Stan B. Walters, CSP
“The Lie Guy®”
TheLieGuy.com
The Interview Room
The3rdDegree.com
StanTheLieGuySpeaks.

Join me on Twitter & Facebook

One of the most persistent myths about signs of deception is that a break in eye contact is a sign of lying.  NOTHING could be further from the truth.  The sad part is that law enforcement academies keep shooting themselves in the foot by perpetuating the myth.

I recently read an article posted on PoliceOne.com (an excellent site I might add!)  submitted with a title that screamed “The eyes have it: How to detect deception: If there is a #1 rule in the interpretation of non-verbal human behavior, it is to look for breaks in eye contact.” In my opinion the article was loaded with unsubstantiated declarations and anecdotal evidence as proof positive that breaks in eye contact are the number 1 sign of deception.

The sad thing is, the author trains not only law enforcement and criminal justice agencies as well as loss prevention and risk management professionals.  He also professes that he teaches material suitable for “certification.” Based on the content of the article, it is obvious that he has never read single piece of social-psychological research because if he did he would learn that what he is professing “as an authority” is pure bogus myth.  Conservatively speaking, there are now well over 30 plus articles outlining empirical evidence that refute his claim.   Well… we should won’t want “science” the get in the way of our pre-conceptions!

In the meantime, interrogators and their agencies are being dragged into court for seriously flawed and contaminated  victim and witness interviews and severely flawed interrogations including false confession cases.  A good portion of the problem can be traced back to courses taught in our academies that espouse such unsubstantiated, disproven, baseless and scientifically inaccurate content that in my opinion borders on the side of negligence.

My message to academies to bring this type of crap into their training schedule should be more diligent about the content and the supporting documentation to avoid this type of drivel.

Of course, this is just my opinion but I would like to hear your point of view including your experiences with the same type of problem.

Stan B. Walters, CSP
“The Lie Guy®”
TheLieGuy.com
The Interview Room
The3rdDegree.com
StanTheLieGuySpeaks.

Join me on Twitter & Facebook

Interrogation techniques taught to investigators run the gamut of styles and philosophies. Certain styles have a higher tendency of showing up in false confessions cases. One of the characteristics of those flawed techniques is the use of false evidence as a tool to get the subject to confess.

There are numerous “problem” interrogation techniques that teach and support the use of false evidence to put pressure on the subject. Suspect techniques tend to also recommend tactics that include suggesting unnamed witnesses, the presence of surveillance cameras when none exist, DNA, fingerprints, footprints, making up file folders purportedly filled with evidence, labeling DVD’s of video tapes with the subject’s name and more. This is typical of high pressure interrogation methods which in and of themselves have a high correlation with false confession.

A documented tactic used by some problem interrogation methods that has been shown to have a very strong correlation to false confessions is the use of the high pressure tactic of suggesting that the subject has a memory problem. There is empirical evidence that one of several common denominators found in false confessions is referred to as “memory distrust syndrome.” In many of these cases the subject need not have a “high suggestibility rating” as described in extensive research on false confessions. Using high pressure tactics, guilt assumptive techniques dominated by leading questions, interrupting the subject, short answer questioning techniques, combined with the interviewer suggesting the subject may not be able to trust their memory is a deadly combination.

Empirical studies of interrogation techniques that capitalize on false evidence do promote false confessions. Such tactics will also contaminate the statements of uncooperative victim’s and witnesses.

Our law enforcement training academies and corporate loss prevention training associations would do well if they would familiarize themselves with the techniques that promote such tactics. They are exposing themselves, their academies, their investigators and their companies to the risk of liability by training their personnel in methods and interrogation techniques that are now being made illegal in many countries.

I think it’s time we paid more attention to the interrogation methods we teach. Are we just training our personnel in a technique because of the name or more importantly, are we really aware of the the moral and legal ethical problems that exist due to the content of the training.

Of course, this just my opinion on the topic.

Stan B. Walters, CSP
“The Lie Guy®”
TheLieGuy.com
The Interview Room
The3rdDegree.com
StanTheLieGuySpeaks.

Join me on Twitter & Facebook

Interrogation Training – A lifetime of study and research.

One interview and interrogation training course is NOT a vaccination!  Just because you took one course on the topic doesn’t mean you don’t need or won’t benefit from any more follow-up training. More often that not investigators and especially their administrators maintain the philosophy that once you take a course on interview and interrogation, you don’t really need any more training on the topic for the rest of your career.

The last 10 – 12 years has seen an enormous amount new research and legal rulings on interview and interrogation.  To maintain a high level of proficiency and reduce personal legal liability, investigators should be constantly studying and researching interview and interrogation research as well as their particular field of expertise. A VERY large majority of the research has proven that many of our detection of deception techniques are absolutely wrong!  Unfortunately misdiagnosis of deception signs is one of the leading causes of false confessions.  Even more disturbing is how many people teaching interview and interrogation have been ignoring the empirical research and are responsible for continuing to perpetuate myths about deception and interrogation.

Questions the professional interviewer & interrogator should ask themselves -

1. Am I dedicated to being the best in my field including my interview & interrogation skills?  Am I a “virtuoso” in my field or am I just average?
2. Am I spending 30 – 60 minutes per day reading about interview and interrogation or about my area of specialization?
3. Have I ever spent the equivalent of the cost of a gourmet cup of coffee on educating and improving myself and my knowledge base?
4. How long ago did I take any training or refresher training on interview & interrogation?
5. Have I really looked at the true “source” of my interview and interrogation training? Is what I am being taught supported by empirical evidence or is it just anecdotal.  As business expert Mark Sanborn wrote in his latest business book “Up, Down or Sideways,” despite popular belief “data is not the plural of anecdotal.”
6. Am I learning for the future?  The more you learn, the more you know what you are going to need to learn to be able to adapt to what you will encounter in the future.

If nothing else, there is one more VERY good reason to read, research and study our interview and interrogation skills.  We dramatically improve our chances of success in the interview room and in the field.

Mark Sanborn wrote “The more you learn, the more you develop behavioral flexibility that provides you a distinct advantage over your competition.”

Stan B. Walters, CSP
“The Lie Guy®”
TheLieGuy.com
The Interview Room
The3rdDegree.com
StanTheLieGuySpeaks.

Join me on Twitter & Facebook

Subscribe to my new You Tube Channel

If you write a book, you have a right to lie.  At least that’s what Lance Armstrong’s attorney’s say about his autobiographies. Lance Armstrong is being sued by his book publishers for $5 million dollars plus damages for the massive lies he wrote about in his books.

I find it very interesting that Armstrong’s attorney Jonathan Herman says “People don’t always have to tell the truth.”  I guess it doesn’t matter that he duped the publishers and millions of readers in his books “It’s Not About the Bike” and “Every Second Counts.”  The argument is that he didn’t fraudulently mislead anybody to buy his books through some form of false advertising campaign. The publisher’s attorney Kevin Roddy says “He cheated on bike races to sell books and he published books in order to cover up cheating. We think they are intertwined.”

I wonder if Armstrong’s attorney would be so cavalier about lying if it was a witness he was deposing?  Would he be so generous if a witness lied on the witness stand?  I guess as long as I feel “justified” in the situation I am authorized to lie.  That’s the same logic people use with they commit all types of crimes, fraud, deception, even sabotage and espionage!

In my mind, this is just another example of Armstrong’s grossly over blown ego and that he can do anything he wants and can find ways to justify his actions.  Lying, not matter the situation is ALWAYS done for selfish reasons.  Even the little white lies we tell in social situations.  What I worry about are the lies that are designed to “hide” a wrong, “hype” the image of oneself, or to “harm” another.

In my mind, chronic lying (hide, hype and harm) is a sign of a MAJOR character flaw on the part of the liar.  It would be my opinion that Armstrong has some major character flaw issues!

The Lie Guy YouTube: Deception: The Different Types of Lies

Don’t you find it amazing that liars are so good at rationalizing and justifying their behavior?  Isn’t amazing that some people go out of their way to enable these people to keep getting away with victimizing others?

I guess some people just prefer to be lied to because they hate hearing the truth as much as some people fear telling the truth.

Well … at least that’s my observation anyway.

Stan B. Walters, CSP
“The Lie Guy®”
TheLieGuy.com

The Interview Room
The3rdDegree.com
StanTheLieGuySpeaks.

Tips for Recording Interviews

What’s Holding You Back From Recording Your Interviews?

Are you recording your interviews? If not maybe you should be!  The trend for recording interviews is growing on a national level.  There is even some changes on the horizon for some federal agencies to start recording interviews.  At last count 22 states are requiring some type of recording of police interviews and interrogations.  More than 3000 agencies are reportedly also doing some recording. So what is it that is holding you or your agency back?

When asked about their experiences with recording interviews, the results were quite surprising!  Almost every single agency said they would never give up the practice.  Despite all the misgivings and concerns about law suits, exposed techniques, or even compromising the “tactics” being used in the interview room, the results have been remarkable.  So maybe what is holding you or your agency back are some concerns about methods, procedures, recording devices and more.

Take a look at Tip # 26 of 101 Tips for Interviewing and Interrogation.  This episode contains some tips for recording interviews.  Many of these tips for recording interviews has come from agencies already using the process and have adjusted their methods, procedures and polices.

Be sure to subscribe to Stan’s YouTube Channel: 101 Tips for Interviewing and Interrogation.
Get ahead of the game with some valuable interviewing tips for every interviewer and interrogator.

Meanwhile, get the Interviewers Playbook and get a head start on all your interviews!

The post Tips for Recording Interviews appeared first on The Lie Guy® blog.

The post Interviewing and Interrogation: Bizarre Training Course appeared first on The Lie Guy® blog.

Lie Signs and Hen’s Teeth

What Interviewers and Interrogators may be missing

For nearly 50 years there has been a fundamental belief that those people who commit the act of deception will exhibit a plethora of telltale non-verbal cues. Interviewing and interrogation courses have taught over five decades that fidgeting, grooming, hand wringing, sweating, breaks in eye contact and even eye movement were just some of the purported undeniable cues that someone was lying. Unfortunately the overwhelming results of empirical research on deception, has debunked a very large majority of non-verbal cues as reliable signs of deception.

Body Language Cues Are Not Working

Several empirical studies confirm that focusing on body language results in poor detection of deception. Lie signs that subjects may generate during interviewing and interrogation are apparently rare and very faint signals. This is most likely the very reason the majority of people including interviewers and interrogators tend to perform very poorly at spotting deception.

Free ebook Practical Kinesic Interview & Interrogation®: A Basic Guide

Big Foot is alive and well! Not!

Peer reviewed research published by Aldert Virj has shown that people in fact do not generate what he calls “stereotypical signs” of nervousness behavior during their attempt to deceive. He found this to be true even though the individual may be experiencing a high level of “detection anxiety” or the fear of getting caught lying. Virj further found that investigators who focused primarily on the body language cues during interviewing and interrogation to spot deception developed a very strong “lie bias.” In empirical research, this is referred to as “confirmation bias.” This is especially true for the multitude of body language myths perpetuated in law enforcement academy training materials. If you think you’re going prove that Big Foot exists, then every single snapped twig or unusual noise in the woods is a sign that Big Foot is real.

Could Verbal Cues Be More Reliable?

When put to the test, in general interviewers and interrogators who focus more on speech cues for diagnosing deception perform better than those watching for the myth-based body language cues. However, another contributing factor to missing verbal cues to deception are the many myths about verbal signs of deception. Such cues as stuttering, stammering, stalling, “ah” “er” “um” and “uh”, laughing, voice pitch and many many more have been proven unreliable.

Hen’s Teeth and Lie Signs

It would appear that verbal and nonverbal signs of deception are quite rare. To complicate matters even more, they have a very short duration which overall makes them hard to spot. Ekman, et al and their work on micro expressions have overwhelming proved that point. The job of the interviewer therefore is cover topics thoroughly and perhaps even repetitively. If the interviewer or interrogator hopes to spot any signs of deception, then they need to focus more not only on what they hear but also ask questions that are very focused and will energize the subject’s efforts to maintain deception making the cues stand out. In other words, the better the questions and the more thorough the coverage the better chance the interviewer will have at spotting deception. Otherwise deception cues from a subject will be as rare as hen’s teeth!

Watch Stan’s You Tube Video on Hen’s Teeth & Lie Signs

The post What Interviewers and Interrogators Are Missing appeared first on The Lie Guy® blog.

Practical Kinesic Interview and Interrogation® a Basic Guide 2nd ed.

Practical Kinesic Interview and Interrogation : A Basic Guide

2nd Edition of the FREE eBook has been released.

Interviewing and interrogation?  What the latest information on the highly productive narrative-based methods? The popular Practical Kinesic Interview and Interrogation®: A Basic Guide 2nd edition has just been released!

I’ve updated the entire guide from front to back!  Students expressed an interest in a more robust guide.  So I’ve added a lot of the new material that I have been teaching to bring the guide up to a more current review of the 5 – Day Science of Interrogation: Practical Kinesic Interview and Interrogation ® Level 1 & 2 course.

If you have only been able to attend the 3 – Day Mastering Narrative-Based Interviewing: Practical Kinesic Interview and Interrogation ® course, you’ll LOVE the 2nd edition!  It has some preview material from the Level 2 course that we were unable to cover. If you attended the 5 – Day course then you like the ability to review key information.

Download your copy here!

There is now 60+ pages of information on Practical Kinesic Interview and Interrogation whereas the previous edition only have 38.  As a bonus, I have included 20+ photos of body language behavior making it easier to visual grasp the behaviors being described.  Here’s more on the content:

Pick up your free ebook Practical Kinesic Interview and Interrogation ®: A Basic Guide 2nd ed.

Make the leap into 21st century methods and techniques that have been scientifically proven to get results.

Download your copy here!

Check out my YouTube Channel for 140+ videos on interview and interrogation.

The post Practical Kinesic Interview and Interrogation : A Basic Guide – Updated! appeared first on The Lie Guy® blog.