Educing Information: Interrogation - National Intelligence University

presentation of evidence as a sort of poker game, where the agents hold most
of the cards except one (the confession) and convince the suspect that they
(the agents) can win (get a conviction) even without the last card. The themes
presented to the suspect are the same as those recommended by most of the
texts and the FBI, although FLETC focuses only on the major three (rationalize,
project, minimize). In exactly the same manner as Reid’s Step 7, “Presenting
an Alternative Question” (see discussion above), this section of the interrogation
ends with the agent’s posing a question that posits a “good” and “bad” reason
for committing the crime, thus offering the suspect two choices, both of which
would constitute an admission of guilt. The students are discouraged from using
trickery or deceit during the monologue, both because FLETC instructors believe
that more sophisticated suspects will see through it and because they believe that
suspects will closely watch the investigators, who might present some of the very
indicators of deception that they are trained to look for in the suspect and thus
“tip their hand.”
According to the instructors, the most difficult skill to teach is rapportbuilding,
mainly because not enough time is available to spend on the subject.
Moreover, many instructors believed that some of the necessary traits of a good
rapport-builder are innate, while others can be taught. Because the classes are
designed for a wide variety of students, the instructors must again teach to the
lowest common denominator. For instance, some students have a natural ability
to establish rapport with almost anyone, while others engage in forced small talk
that makes the suspect uncomfortable and wary. Thus, like the Boston Police
Department (see discussion below), the instructors attempt to teach the students
to establish rapport through an appearance of confidence and professionalism, and
through the types of questions asked. If the agents are able to engage in small talk
that is ideal, but they are taught not to force the rapport through such techniques.
Instructors also try to focus on so-called “rapport-busters,” meaning questions or
statements that break the rapport that has been established by sending a different
message than that established in the rapport-building stage (e.g., “We’re here to
ask you a few questions.”). As part of that effort, and especially in the advanced
interview classes and “add-on” programs conducted for specific agencies, FLETC
instructors attempt to refine the agents’ questioning skills by emphasizing the use
of narrative questions, as well as direct and precise questions. In addition, FLETC
emphasizes a constant focus on creating an impression of confidence, patience,
and persistence as a necessary component of a successful interview. Indeed,
according to one instructor, confidence is the key to a successful interrogation.
The students are also taught the basics of detecting deception. According to
the FLETC instructors the teaching here closely follows the literature. Students
are not generally taught to look for any specific physical or verbal signals of
deception, but to focus on nonverbal, verbal, and symbolic communications that
occur in clusters as the result of stimuli presented in the form of questions or
evidence by the investigator. Students are taught to consider the culture of the
subject (although they are not taught the ways in which members of a particular
culture might respond to a particular stimulus), to look for clusters of behavior
212