Handy to know.
We’ve all done it and we’ve all experienced it, but can you tell if somebody is lying to your face?
Well, one man that’s incredibly well versed in the art of interrogation is the author Charles Brandt as he has spent a large part of his time interrogating criminals and teaching these techniques to various law enforcement officers.
A former homicide investigator, prosecutor and District Attorney, Brandt is also the author of Unfinished Business, the story of Joe Pistone on which the film Donnie Brasco was based, and I Heard You Paint Houses, the book that Martin Scorsese is adapting in his new gangster epic, The Irishman.
The author is coming to Ireland to partake in a panel discussion at LIT Millennium Theatre, Limerick about his work, but prior to his arrival, we had a chance to chat with him.
Aside from talking about his incredibly interesting work on the life of Frank Sheeran, we asked him if he could share some tips to tell if somebody is lying.
“If you ever have to interrogate somebody, get the person to talk about something from their memory that you know is true. Whatever it is – where did they go to school, the topic doesn’t matter – just keep them talking,” said Brandt.
He adds: “You don’t give them a chance to reflect on there they are and why they’re talking. When they’re talking about true things and true events, you need to see where their eyes go. Do their eyes go to the left and down when they’re telling the truth? Usually, people’s eyes will go up when they’re telling the truth. Look for that. When you see the eyes in a different location, you’re now listening for something that may not be true. Their eyes are elsewhere, then where they are from memory.”
Brandt also said that you can tell a lot from somebody depending on the pitch and tone of their voice.
“You also listen to the quality of the voice. In a choir, the choirmaster can hear the one person that’s out of tune and where they are exactly. Well, you begin to hear that as well, there’s something a little hollow about the tone of voice. When people say that something rings true, yeah, the truth rings true!”
A meticulous approach to his work has paid dividends to Brandt and given the fact that he has interviewed some of the world’s most notorious criminals, he urges people to pay attention to every single detail.
“Also, I used to teach interrogation to cops and I taught them to pay attention to E.F.W – every f**king word. There may be a word of some significance that seems out of place, or the strange use of a word, and that puts you on the trail. The main thing is that you have to believe that they want to confess. When you think abut it, recovery programs for alcohol abuse require adherence to the truth and confession. The same for religion. If you believe – like I do – that there’s a basic human need to confess – then you’re ahead of the game by many leagues.”
There you have it, consider this your first step on the road to becoming a professional interrogator. Just like these guys.
I.NY Festival 2018 is part of the Global Irish Festival series and takes place at venues across Limerick City from Oct 7-14. For tickets and information visit www.thisisINY.com. The Story of Frank Sheeran with author Charles Brandt in conversation with Michael Clifford takes place on Wed, Oct 10, at 8pm in LIT Millennium Theatre. Tickets from €15-€20.
Clip via Armaniaca
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