Watch out! That friendly cop might not be as understanding as you think he is! In fact, it might all be a trick!
Welcome back to The Kronzek Firm blog. We opened this discussion last time by talking about the ways that cops have been trained to get information from people during an investigation. More directly, we’re talking about getting suspects to confess to a crime. As we mentioned in the previous article, there are at least four ways that officers go about it, but the most common method used by Michigan police officers in Eaton or Livingston County, all the way up to Mecosta County and down to Oakland County, is the Reid technique. Cops across the US are taught interrogation techniques by the Reid organization. As they say, the more prepared you are, the less chance you have of getting snagged by the Reid interrogation traps.
Is these techniques a good way of getting people to confess to crimes?
Yes, they get lots of confessions using these methods. However, the Reid method of interrogation is very risky because it’s subject to confirmation bias. This means that it could reinforce inaccurate assumptions or beliefs, and result in alternative leads not being followed during the investigation. Also, there’s the risk that vulnerable people will be at a higher risk of making false confessions. ‘Vulnerable people’ could mean anyone who hasn’t had enough sleep the night before, is low functioning, is traumatized, is under aged, is under the influence or has been in police custody for many hours.
So what are the risks when cops use this method?
Well, the first and most obvious risk is cornering people into making confessions they wouldn’t otherwise make. Whether it’s a false confession made by an innocent person, or a confused confession made by someone who made an impulse choice that was later twisted to make them look bad, it’s still a bad idea. There’s actually a lot of controversy surrounding the Reid technique, and many police departments in other countries are switching to different methods of interrogation.
The police will do whatever they believe necessary to get a confession.
In addition to the questionable Reid technique,Michigan police officers have other tools in their interrogation tool kit that they can use to get suspects to confess to a crime. They can lie to you about physical evidence they have that implicates you. They can even claim that an accomplice has fingered you as the bad guy. And not a word of it is against the law. It’s always amazing to us that so many people think that the cops can’t lie to you! Yes the can and yes they do. Very often.
Don’t let a desperate cop twist the truth on you!
If you are contacted by the police, or tricked into answering questions by the police or you believe your rights have been violated, contact us immediately! Don’t wait another second! Remember the golden rule at The Kronzek Firm PLC. Shut up and lawyer up. We’re helped clients across the lower peninsula of Michigan since the last century. In the course of representing hundreds of clients, doctors, lawyers, judges, professors, factor workers, CPS workers and so many more people have turned to our aggressive criminal defense lawyers for help. We’re available 24/7 to help and for crisis intervention. Call our trusted and respected Michigan criminal defense team at 866 766 5245 (866 7No Jail). We can help you now.