The Bull Don’t Care
The bull don’t care how you planned to ride. In the interview room, staying present means listening beyond the answer you want, recognizing what the subject gives you, and adapting your approach.
Don’t Ask for More Details. Execute Better Retrieval.
Investigators often ask for “more details” when what they really need is a better retrieval strategy. Effective interviewing uses structured recall methods to help reliable information emerge, then tests that information against the evidence.
The Angry Subject in the Interview Room: When Listening Stops, Progress Fails
Anger is not evidence of deception or honesty. Learn why angry subjects can become “intellectually deaf,” and why recognizing the difference between reacting and responding is critical to productive investigative interviews.
Narrative or Accusatory? One Builds a Case. One Breaks It.
Narrative and accusatory interviewing are more than different techniques—they represent two fundamentally different investigative philosophies. One is designed to gather and evaluate information. The other often begins with the objective of obtaining admissions or confessions. Those choices influence the quantity, quality, and reliability of the evidence investigators ultimately present in court.
The Crime Before the Crime?
Most investigations begin with the crime. The better question is: When did the crime really begin? Long before the act itself, offenders often progress through a series of decisions involving distorted thinking, planning, preparation, and commitment. Understanding that sequence can change how investigators conduct interviews—and how they build stronger cases.
Yackey Yak Will Cost You the Facts
Many investigators believe talking demonstrates control. In reality, excessive talking suppresses the subject’s narrative, increases the risk of contamination, and reduces statement reliability. Learn why disciplined silence is one of the most powerful—and overlooked—skills in investigative interviewing.
False Confessions Don’t Happen in a Vacuum
False confessions rarely emerge from a single tactic. More often, they develop through premature assumptions, confirmation bias, contamination, and unreliable deception assessments that gradually compromise statement reliability. This article examines how interviewer decisions can influence investigative outcomes long before a confession is obtained.
Will Your Interview Training Survive Courtroom Scrutiny?
Investigative interviewing is one of the most legally high-risk operational skills in modern policing — yet it is rarely audited against modern scientific or courtroom standards. This article examines why Daubert scrutiny should influence interview and interrogation training long before a case reaches the courtroom, and why reliability must begin in the training room.