Nationally recognized coercive interrogation expert says police agencies need to do better when it comes to the investigation of major felony cases.

BUFFALO, NEW YORK, USA, June 15, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Brian Leslie, owner of Criminal Case Consultants Inc. (coerciveinterrogationexpert.com) and a nationally recognized coercive interrogation and interview expert says police agencies need to do better when it comes to the investigation of major felony cases.

Leslie says that many investigations use a deductive method, which refers to a model used when investigators only accept information that fits the initial theory, they have formed of how the crime occurred and who the prime suspects are. In this investigative method, adverse or exculpatory evidence is potentially ignored, thus creating the framework for a specific narrative the investigator is attempting to achieve. Public pressure to solve a case can also influence how investigators investigate potentially targeting wrong suspects due to a lack of vetting information and the sources that provide this information. Using an inductive model is much more effective and thorough. Investigators accept all information during an investigation vetting the primary sources of the information for credibility and the information the source provides. This would also place more of a requirement to vet police informants.

Leslie also says that how police initially approach witnesses in a multi-witness crime scene can make a difference in establishing suspect identification. Leslie calls this the dominant witness theory, which he has written articles on this in the past. In a multi-witness crime scene, police generally interview witnesses separately, asking each for their version of events. Most witnesses, who are eager to cooperate with police, will provide this. Leslie says the problem is that some vital information, such as the color of a car, a tattoo, ethnicity, height, weight, or color of clothing, may have been implanted through suggestion by the so-called dominate witness— the one who influences the other, passive witnesses—and not actually seen by the witness. Passive witnesses will generally have some doubts about what they observed during a traumatic event. They can easily be convinced that what they thought they perceived was something else. When the police arrive at a crime scene, the first question to a witness should not be
“what did you see?” but “who did you speak to before my arrival?” This way, the information sources can be tracked and verified, not just the
information they provided. It is doubtful that fourteen months later, at trial, the witness would recall that the facts of a case he or she is testifying to were suggested by a dominant witness or an interviewing officer. What the witness will testify to and remember is that it was his or her recollection of events.

By conducting a thorough investigation and targeting the correct suspect, Leslie believes less coercive techniques would be used in the interrogation room to obtain a confession.


About Brian Leslie And Criminal Case Consultants Inc.

Brian Leslie is a nationally recognized coercive interrogation & interview techniques expert with over 14 years of previous law enforcement experience. This includes major case investigation expertise and a term serving as Chief of Police. Throughout Mr. Leslie’s law enforcement career, he has conducted over 2000 interviews with witnesses/victims, including interrogations. He is regularly retained to examine the investigative methods used by law enforcement as well as examine the contents of written, video and audio witness/victim interviews, suspect interviews and interrogations (audio, video and written transcripts) that were conducted by law enforcement and forensic interviews conducted by child protection service agencies in both the United States and Canada. Mr. Leslie has testified and is qualified as an expert in Federal, State, and Military Courts throughout the United States. He is the owner of Criminal Case Consultants Inc.

Website: www.coerciveinterrogationexpert.com

Brian Leslie
Criminal Case Consultants Inc
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