Investigative Statement Analysis

Course Objectives and Agenda (CLICK HERE)

Please be aware that this class is a 20-hour training. Therefore, the first two days of training will be 8am-5pm local time. The last day will be 8am-12pm local time.

This course is highly recommended for law enforcement professionals, prosecuting attorneys, arson investigators, private investigators, human resource specialists and social workers.

The Linguistic Statement Analysis Technique (LSAT) is a discipline that is highly effective in the detection of deception, truthfulness and identification of hidden information in a subject’s written or spoken statements. LSAT involves scientifically examining the word choice, structure and content of a subject’s statement to determine whether it is truthful or deceptive as opposed to the traditional emotional method of rationalizing the events in the subject’s story.

How LSAT Works:
All humans use the same subconscious strategies to deceive, by using different words and phrases, statement structure and content in their statements than truthful ones. Years of research by experts in the fields of language, psychology and deception detection have led to the identification of these trends in language that are referred to as linguistic signals. Using LSAT you will identify these linguistic signals that differentiate deceptive statements from truthful ones. It is equally effective when used on suspect, witness, and victim statements alike. The linguistic analyst examines the subject’s statement to identify all of the existing linguistic signals. They can then determine if the statement is truthful or deceptive, exactly what specific points of the statement are deceptive or truthful and reveal much information that the subject didn’t intend to include. Look at an example:

“Before I left home, I said goodbye to her. After I said goodbye to her, I left the house to catch my flight.”

The sentences above are a small segment taken from a murder suspect’s written statement. They appear to be rather insignificant but believe it or not, this segment contains SIX signals that the writer is likely to have committed the murder! He even tells us when he committed it! The information taught in the class will teach you to immediately recognize why the statement tells us this and will make the linguistic signals jump off the page at your eye!

How This Can Help You
Using LSAT, the interviewer knows prior to the interview, what the deception is and where it lies. The interviewer/analyst focuses directly upon those areas, using a competent interview technique, and compels them to confess. Investigators will save countless hours of hit-and-miss interviewing. Students will also learn how to develop and use the LSAT Investigative Questionnaire, or “IQ”. Using the IQ, one investigator can “interview” an unlimited number of suspects at the same time for virtually any offense narrowing the suspect list to only a handful in a matter of minutes.

LSAT is conducted in the following formats:

• Basic Linguistic Analysis; General criminal investigation
• LSAT for Arson Investigation; same as basic but focus on arson statements.

The basic course is conducted over two and a half days. It is highly interactive with a significant hands-on, statement analysis practice. There may be a small amount of homework involved, but it is very challenging and very enjoyable for students. Students are encouraged to bring with them statements from past or current cases that might be used as examples in class. Every student is provided with a workbook and all items needed to successfully participate. Each student will also be provided markers, pens, rulers, and handouts. Students should bring a simple, scientific pocket calculator.

After attending our training, students will be able to:

• Understand concepts of truthfulness and deception. How to maximize efficiency and effectiveness when interviewing, Insight into the thought processes of deceptive people.
• Understand what valid statements are and how to collect them. What is and how to obtain statements that are not affected by outside influences and are in the subject’s own words.
• Understand how to identify “Linguistic Signals”. The essence of statement analysis and why they indicate deception, truthfulness, and reveal far more than what the author has written.
• Applying the detailed analysis process of examining the components of statements to gain the most information possible to help gain confessions and dramatically improve confession rates.
• Develop a basic ability to interpret the results of an analysis. Integrating the information given by linguistic signals to complete a complete, vivid image of the reality behind the story.
• Understand and utilize the Validity Assessment process, the indicators of the levels of deception that take only minutes to identify.
• Maximizing potential for obtaining information. Establish the expectation with the target of an interview that they will offer information.
• Develop alternative an interview strategy. Develop interview strategies that will allow the interviewer to take full advantage of the information learned in the statement analysis, compelling suspects to confess. How to use the subject’s own words against them to elicit confessions.
• Practical application of skills and knowledge by completing a minimum of four practice statements. Analysis of 5 real-case statements to practice applying the newly learned discipline
• Acquire understanding of and ability to compile the IQ questionnaire, the written investigative tool that will allow investigators to interview unlimited number of suspects in a matter of minutes and reduce the suspect pool by up to 95%.