Strategic Use of Evidence (SUE) is about more than what investigators know—it’s about when they reveal it. Holding evidence can preserve investigative leverage, protect victim and witness statements from contamination, and provide a better way to test the reliability of suspect accounts.

The problem is not “too many details.” It is whether those details can be tested against reality. Learn how verifiable information strengthens statement reliability and helps investigators identify where better follow-up questions are needed.

For decades, investigators have been taught to search for signs of deception. But research increasingly points toward a better question: what makes a statement reliable? Truth spotting shifts the focus from behavioral guesswork to information that can be examined, tested, and verified.

One simple word can dramatically influence cooperation. Research on the power of “because” shows how giving a reason—even a brief one—can increase compliance and improve the way requests are received.

Reciprocity in the Interview Room: Give Something Before You Ask for Something by Stan B. Walters - The Lie Guy® ORCID 0009-0002-1063-0519 Interested in hosting a Mastering Investigative Interviews course for your agency?
 Contact LLRMI to discuss dates and arrangements. Cooperation Often Begins Before the First Important Question Interviewers naturally enter an interview thinking about what they need to get—an account, details, explanations, clarification, or perhaps an admission. Robert Cialdini’s work on influence suggests beginning somewhere else: What can I give first? Reciprocity is built around a remarkably powerful social tendency. When someone gives us something or does something for us, [...]

Interview questions do more than recover information—they can influence what a person later remembers. Learn how memory contamination can affect victims, witnesses, and subjects, and why protecting memory should be treated as seriously as protecting physical evidence.