Educing Information: Interrogation - National Intelligence University

suspects often recognize for what it really is: forced and fake. Unlike forced and
spurious conversation, instructors emphasized that, in essence, rapport is based
on mutual respect and fostered by treating suspects with dignity and humanity. As
a general matter, FBI instructors mentioned that an effective interrogator is one
who has strong communication, listening, and interpersonal skills, approaches
interrogations with patience, and can pay close, simultaneous attention to the facts
of the case as well as to external and internal factors during the interrogation.
As may be gleaned from the information above, and as was confirmed by
FBI Academy staff, FBI training in interviewing and interrogation is deliberately
general. This occurs by design rather than chance. The new agent training
is meant to provide individuals who, as a general rule, have had no previous
law enforcement experience with the tools necessary to become competent
criminal investigators in a relatively short time frame. Given the broad range of
experiences and skills each trainee brings to the program, training is therefore
designed to reach what instructors referred to as the lowest common denominator.
As an illustration, one FBI instructor noted that he must tailor his training to a
24-year-old ex-employee of an Internet company who has spent the last 4 years of
his life working in a cubicle without any significant interpersonal contact. Thus,
the training is designed to provide only the skills absolutely necessary to be a
competent criminal investigator.
In theory, this problem could be remedied by future, more detailed training
on specialized and complex subjects such as interrogation. However, continuing
education, also known as “in-training services,” is sparse, and what little is
available is optional and usually offered by independent contractors such as Reid
and Associates. 580 The most instructors can do is provide a bibliography of books
and articles on interrogation for further reading to guide future agents in their
voluntary learning process. Consequently, with the exception of those who obtain
additional interrogation training on their own initiative, most FBI agents rely only
on their general FBI Academy training.
Like their counterparts at FLETC, FBI instructors admitted that it is unclear
how much of the training agents actually apply in their interrogations, or how
well they implement the techniques they employ. One instructor noted that he
believed only 25–30% of agents follow what they learn during their interrogation
training. FBI Academy instructors and directors have recognized this as a serious
shortcoming and agreed that it is a pressing issue that requires future research.
To complicate matters further, the FBI, like all other law enforcement
agencies we interviewed, lacks data as to the efficacy of the interrogation
techniques it teaches. Although the instructors have a comprehensive knowledge
and understanding of the literature and empirical studies, no systematic, empirical
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The scarcity of training is even more evident at the state and city police department levels. With
their experience in dealing with and training police officers from around the country and the world
through the FBI’s National Academy, instructors underscored the fact that most police departments
offer absolutely no formal interrogation training whatsoever. This observation is consistent with our
own contact with the Boston Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police.
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