Thursday, December 18, 2014

Statement Analysis: Practice, Practice, and More Practice

In training seminars, I often implore attendees to "practice, practice, and practice some more" so that they will find, in approximately two years, that they are "good" at analysis.

Having said this, I have often found that in the days or weeks after training, an investigator will analyze a statement, have the analysis checked (with additions) and solve a case perfectly through the analysis.

They will value the instruction and will be inspired to practice.

Our principle of revisiting statements, when the emotions have cooled (and we have "moved on", that is, processed the information), that when we return to the same statement, the yield is specifically increased as more information comes into focus.

This is natural.

The brain, while processing the information, will develop an opinion and with enough sensitivity indicators, for example, the analyst may conclude, "this guy is lying!" which will become settled into the brain, and there is a certain, "I'm done, let me move on!"

This is the fourth year that I have been teaching Statement Analysis which means, for some statements, it is the fourth year that they have been presented to well educated (and in some cases, already trained in Statement Analysis!) professionals.  Some law enforcement, some human resources, but also attorneys, business professionals, therapists, social workers, insurance or civil investigators, and others, well invested in learning the truth.

In this presentation, new information has come forward, as recently as this past Tuesday, on statements that I have not only successfully covered in investigations (to completion) but have been, or so I thought, exhaustively analyzed!

It is amazing.

This past week, one statement, in particular, was used as it has been in classes for 4 years, yet an attendee focused in on a single word that has not been covered by anyone, myself included, and it was analyzed by an attendee with a law degree who saw in it what has not been seen by me, other analysts, and a great deal of professionals.

Because this statement was one of "my own", that is, one that I not only investigated, and received a confession, but it was one in which I asked the subject, after the confession, to go through the statement with me, allowing me to confirm accuracy or correct deficiency.

I know a lot about the case, but in particular, I know a great deal about her thinking when she stole from her employee, including information about her history, personal life, and even what happened to her after the confession and adjudication of her legal case.

Therefore, I was able to confirm some seemingly minor point as fitting perfectly.

The same statement I use in all trainings, for the past 4 years, still yielded "new" information as someone with just a few hours of training in principle, highlighted.

Statement Analysis, even after all these years, still amazes me.

Since it is that we have to learn to "listen" in a new way, for the first time in our lives, it is also true that if attendees do not practice and continue Statement Analysis training, the brain will naturally revert back to the 'dulled listening' that it has always done.

This is as solid a principle, as any principle found within the learning:

Statement Analysis must have continued application and continued learning in order to become part of the personality of the analyst.

12 comments:

trustmeigetit said...

Please tell us what this "single word"

You can't leave us hanging...

I've been following you for about 2 years and I am starting to pick up on things now.

This is something I think about every day and often even caught myself using "we" if I was responding to an error even when it is solely my fault. I did change it to "I".

It the one thing that to me is the best tool. As long as they speak which liars seem to enjoy doing.

trustmeigetit said...

Excuse the typos. On my phone...

Buckley said...

On my phone...

Dropped pronoun!!! Lol!

I agree though- I'm dying to know what's the word and passage?

trustmeigetit said...

Buckley....

Dropped pronoun likely due to not wishing to own my typos.

Lol

John Mc Gowan said...

OT Updates:

Jessica Chambers Murder Investigators Now Have New Leads Regarding Teen’s Death; 19-Year-Old Courtland Girl Found Burning Next To Car.

http://www.travelerstoday.com/articles/16688/20141218/jessica,chambers,murder,investigators,now,new,leads,regarding,teen,s.htm

........................

Shane Montgomery’s Parents Are Searching for Him Every Day

Read more at http://www.phillymag.com/news/2014/12/18/shane-montgomerys-parents-searching-every-day/#FuSiHeQ33dlhdxGG.99

GetThem said...

It's kind of like a switch I have to turn on to focus on using SA, otherwise, it's true, that I don't "listen" in the same way.

John Mc Gowan said...

Updates:

Woman Charged in Scam After Jessica Chambers' Burning Death

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/woman-charged-scam-after-jessica-chambers-burning-death-n271216

..............................

Police Hunt Burning Death Killer: Jessica Chambers’ Dad Has Message For Killer, Justice Sought For Teen

http://www.inquisitr.com/1689045/police-hunt-burning-death-killer-jessica-chambers-dad-has-message-for-killer-justicesought/#YV5twoXX6oZU6LvU.99

................................

Man Charged in Abigail Hernandez Kidnapping Faces 150 Sex Assault Charges

http://thestir.cafemom.com/crime/180709/abigail_hernandez_rape_nathaniel_kibby

GeekRad said...

What is the word? I am guessing this relates to the woman who stole the iPAD.

GeekRad said...

Wow John, you have been busy! Thank you for the updates.

Unknown said...

OT

I hadn't heard anything about this Amber Alert, but have a quick listen to the story given by the 19 year old babysitter.

Supposedly, 2 masked and gloved men in black burst into the home, pinned her to the ground, and took ONLY the little boy who has now been found dead close to the home. (Leaving the adult babysitter, and two other children behind)

The babysitter led LE to believe there was a custody dispute to blame for the abduction, but that makes zero sense now that we know the boy's body was found in the immediate area around the home.

Has anyone seen anymore on this story? Possibly statements from the babysitter?

http://news.yahoo.com/video/amber-alert-canceled-missing-5-143049103.html

Unknown said...

Well, I just found another article that states the 19 yo lied about the abduction, (duh) and the case is now being treated as a homicide.

NEITHER of the boys parents actually lived in the home with him. ;-(

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/12/19/police-abducted-5-year-old-albany-county-boy-found-dead/

GeekRad said...

I haven't seen any statements of the babysitter but apparently LE didn't buy her story and have arrested her for homicide.