4 Common Questions & 4 Tricks Police are Allowed to Use Deception
The average person assumes that the police have at their use a wide range of “tricks” or arms of deception to get a suspect to confess to a crime he or she has committed or some other important knowledge. But what exactly is allowable? What, if any, tricks are out of bounds? Learn five tricks […]
Child Advocacy and the Medical Professional: 3 Things You Didn’t Know
You may not realize that when it comes to child abuse, the spectrum of professions that must be consulted is wide. Your social worker, your child psychologist, your forensic investigator, the person who reports the incident and many others are among the group. But have you considered the role that the medical professional may play […]
A Shift in Focus: From Seeking Confessions to Seeking Information
When it comes to closing cases quickly and getting the guilty “behind bars,” law enforcement officials have used forceful or coercive methods to get at the confession needed. The shift, however, in the past decade has moved largely from one that seeks confessions to one that seeks information. Learn the difference between the two and […]
4 Reasons False Confession Criticize the Reid Technique & 4 Truths
The Reid Technique is one of the most widely accepted techniques used by law enforcement in the US. At the same time, it receives substantial criticism. What are the reasons that many experts call the technique into question? We discuss four flaws that false confession experts find and reasons they give for them. We provide […]
The Four Sides of Private Investigation
It’s probably that your view of a private investigator is one who constantly carries with him his guns, tracking down villains and getting all the applause at the end of the story. The movies certainly make it sound romantic, if not downright comic in some cases. Justice is served, right wins, etc. But the truth […]
ERI around the World: the UK and Wales
While electronic recording of interrogations gains momentum in the US in light of recent policy change in the Federal government and its decision to require electronic video and audio recordings of interrogations, the rest of the world maintains a wide variety of positions on the matter. iRecord wants to share tidbits from what’s happening around […]
Textbook Perfect Interviews Don’t Guarantee Perfect Outcomes
When was the last time you evaluated how well your interviewing was going when it comes to investigating crime? And not just the method by which you ask and capture responses, but all the ancillary yet still very important aspects on conducting an interview, including the angle of the camera, your back up system and […]
More than Meets the Eye—A Case for Careful Use of Video
The trend to reduce the number of false confessions resultant from poorly or wrongly obtained evidence and witness testimony has gained significant momentum over the last year. In fact, most recently, the Federal policy to authorize and require Federal agencies to use electronic recording equipment in conducting interrogations has catapulted the story into wide view. […]
More Than a System in Place: 6 Marks of an Ideal System
Your department might have adopted a system to record suspect interviews, but just having a system in place is not enough. You need more than just a system in place—you need a process, competence, and most of all, you need to know how to use your system to your advantage. Consider what the ideal system […]
3 Things You Should Know about Real CSI
Crime scene investigation sounds like an interesting line of work. After all, a good number of shows have become overnight hits based on the profession. But, solving crimes and crime scene investigation is a complicated job that requires both theory and practical application. Learn more about scene processing, evidence interpretation, and criminal case processing to […]