Hi—I’m working on a creative project inspired by how detectives think and observe people.
I’m interested in how detectives deal with uncertainty. Specifically:
- How do you read someone when you don’t have the full picture yet?
- How do you stay calm and avoid assumptions?
- What clues do you actually pay attention to, and which ones are distractions?
Also—any advice on how this mindset could be used online? Like when trying to understand someone based on social patterns, behavior, tone, etc.?
Not for anything law-related, just trying to study real observation techniques for something I’m building.
It would mean so much to me. Thanks to anyone willing to share.
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There are good investigators, and bad investigators. There are plenty of cases where people jump to conclusions and try to convict the wrong people… So here is what I do.
I am here to ask questions. The subject answers those questions and I record that information. Most people lie about things, and most of those lies are irrelevant to me. I just record the details they give me and cross reference them with other information. I don’t even get called until there is some reason to believe a crime has been committed so that is always the starting point – this is obviously different for a beat cop who might be showing up on a scene and trying to figure everything out.
What do I rely on? Physical evidence. If I have someone committing the crime on video I still ask them. If they lie, I slowly start to roll out the evidence. Sometimes they figure out that you know far more than you are letting on and confess. I deal with identity theft and passport fraud… In the absence of some kind of evidence everything is he said/she said anyways and a prosecutor won’t take the case.
I ritualize the process. There are forms to be filled out. I am giving them a chance to give their side of the story (and put it in writing. I downplay the crime. I build rapport. At the end of the day I don’t convict them… I just gather the facts for the prosecutors.
And how do you get over people lying to you? I don’t. It bothers the shit out of me, but I bitch about it with my partner after we walk out because you never know when you might need to go back and deal with that person again.