Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Keep yer big trap shut

Genderist has some splendid tips for the criminally minded.

I would add...don't say nothin'. Don't say anything at all. Don't respond to the question "just one more thing". Don't engage in chit-chat with those cops. They aren't interested in you, they are interested in their closure rate. They want to fit you up.

It's a well known technique and it's practically infallible. In the UK, cops let you spin a yarn and then they ask you again and then they compare differences in your story and they work on that. Fortunately, it works both ways. For one job, I had to interview a lot of senior police officers* - these people are tough cookies. They use all kinds of distraction techniques to avoid answering the real question. I'm no expert, but I used flattery and "rapt, admiring attention" and "stupid questions" to draw them out.

I'm sure there's plenty they didn't give away, but I also like to think maybe they gave away a little bit more than they meant to, e.g. the time the cop grabbed me by the shoulders on the way down the stairs and gave me a little push to illustrate one of their "interview techniques". He was kidding on the nose.

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*I've been on both sides of the chat, and it's definitely better to be the one asking the questions.

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