The Cost of (Not) Training: Why Interview Skills Matter More Than We Think
Law enforcement officers conduct interviews every day—gathering critical information from victims, witnesses, and suspects. But how well are they trained in modern, science-based communication techniques?
An estimated staggering $4 billion1 has been paid out in compensation to exonerees since 1989, with 16% of wrongful convictions linked to false confessions1. In New York State alone since the late 1980s, six studies have documented approximately 250 interrogation-induced false confessions2. Many of these cases resulting in sizeable compensation payouts stem from outdated, coercive interrogation methods still in use
In 1992, England and Wales introduced the PEACE model, an evidence-based approach to interviewing. It is my current understanding that there have been zero documented instances of a person being incarcerated because of making a false confession since its introduction4. So why has the U.S. been slow to adopt science based interviewing techniques known for over 30 years? One potential answer lies in its recruit training culture.
A report by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF)5 highlights a gap in police training:
U.S. law enforcement academies prioritize hard skills whereas soft skills like communication, de-escalation, and crisis intervention—receive just 10 hours or less.
Many agencies still rely on methods, emphasizing compliance over conversation.
Playing Like We Train
Officers rely on their training in high-stakes situations and if that training focuses on command and control rather than effective information gathering, the costs mount up. Not only financially but in the collateral consequences to everyone involved. In addition, if the wrong person is in jail the offender is still at liberty to commit further offences. I suggest it is time to shift some training priorities. Evidence-supported Science-backed interview training is not an optional add-on—it is a necessity. Kudos to agencies embracing it already.
The question is no longer whether the law enforcement community can afford to train officers in communication skills. The question is: How much longer can they afford NOT to?
References
1.THE NATIONAL REGISTRY OF EXONERATIONS
2. FalseConfessions.org
3. City Won't Pay $6 Million Awarded to Man Wrongfully Imprisoned for Decades
4 Personal communication with two respected sources (R. Bull and D Walsh)
5 PERF Transforming Police Recruit Training: 40 Guiding Principles (2022)
