r We_14a_s_~~_2 6 0 1/0 -/0 88ROOQ~ ~002800084 8/07: CIAZRD 96 SGU Managing the Psychic In Criminal Investigations By THOMAS J. GORDON.- -- JERRY J. TOBIAS. The term "extra sensory per- ccption" possesses a certain fascination and magical charm. To many, it conjures up image$ of strange and mysterious events. The thought of an individual pos- scssing the ability to read thoughts, predict the future.or reveal the past seems incrcd- iblc. Yet. the media reports these occur. rences with considerable regularity, and professionals arc showing increasing in- tcrcst in this phenomenon. :hc -_-r-1 c ncral C use during the 1930s and suggests unusual human abilities which are scientifically unexplainable. These arc often referred to as -psychic powers- and looked upon as supernormal or paranormal. &% they do not adhere to the accepted principles of scicn- ti f ic knowledge or exploration. Psychic and Police Work Perhaps at this time you are wondering: "What does this have to do with police work?" The answer is quite simple. With increasing frequency, law crifomerricrit officials involved in investigations are being approached by individuals who claim to posFss powers of extrasensory perception and wish to offer thicir services. However, to the average police officer, often skeptical by nature arid suspicious by virtue of training, the psychic is placed in the same category as one who reads tea leaves or tarot cards and is viewed with little credibility. The fact that police officers view the services of a psychic with less than en- thusiasm should not be surprising since police organizations are typically among the most conservative of social institutions. - Officers wm trair-I to comitict inveoiea tions in an orderly fashion. They develop and organizc leads, gather and maintain evidence. interview witnesses and/or sus- I)CCI.S. and proceed in a methodical deduc- tivc nunricr. Consequently. the introduc- tion of a paranortnal investigative technique not only raises the specter of the occult. but is often perceived as damaging to the credibility, expertise, and professional prerogatives of thepolice. In a sense. it is an embarrassment. While it is true psychic -investigators" have been consulted in a number of police investigations, they am typically brought in out of desperation on the part of the authorities. and then only when the inquiry appears stalled and intense pressure for results is being exerted by the media ar community. Needless to say, the use of parapsyche. ogical investigative techniques by la enforcement officers remains a controve sial issue. However, despite these co cems. individuals with bona ride psych ability ofl'cr a unique and potentially val- able investigative skill. Thus, it is not a intent of this article to encourage or di courage the u%e of the Psychic, but rather nmvidc some eencral auidelincs for V management of psychic investigitio should a decision be made to proceed in it direction. Guidelines The first and perbaps most important s1 in managing psychic investigations is t selection of the psychic(s) to be involved the case. This process can be facilitated; contacting reputable institutions or orga; zations involved in psychic research whi may be able to provide a list of prospe- or identify individuals who have derric strated a "track record" in other investif- fions or within a laboratory research settir Proceeding in this fashion accomplishes least three objectives: (1) identification THOMAS J. GORDON is currently employed in an administrative capacity with the Oakland County Office of Substance Abuse Services and has served on a part-time basis with the Hazel Park Police Department for cyv6r nine years. He holds the B.A. in psychology and M.A. in clinical psychology from Oakland Unl- versity and is currently a doctoral candidate in educational/soc- W psychology af the University of Michigan. JERRY J.'TOBIAS. Ed.D.. P.0. Box 503, Bkomfield Hills, Michl- gan 48013, is a professor of education and human services at the University of Detroit. and a youth officer for ft Southf iek-11 Township, Michigan. Police Department. ..r e~-~WNlw Approvea For Release 2000/08/07 : CIA-RDP96-007-88ROO01002,30008-4 58 THE POUCE CHIEF/MAY 1970 Approved For Release 2000/08/07 tbr'whorn there is some docu- ,~videncc of p,,ychic ability, (2) in- .,ng the chance of success in the inves on. and (3) providing further lcgiti .ation for the decision to explore para xmal investigative techniques. Next, a scries of operational decisions ust be made. Although situational cir- .imstances may require some alteration in oe 1ollowing recommendations, each -Kwld be carefully considered: 1. The decision to en'gage in psychic Evestigation should be kept confl!dential witil after the psychic has completed the .7sk. It has been our experience that inintaining the confidentiality of the oper- Rion until its completion allows the psychic :) work unfettered by pressures W expcc- ations external to the investigation. It also naintains the propriety of the investigative ffort and Virtually climinates the poteniial bra "circus" atmosphere. 2. The selection of a team of officers to -vork, with the psychic is of central impor- tance. The tearn should be composed ofat .cast two or three officers who arc fairly :;pen-minded in regard to the existence or psychic ability. It must be remembered that while most psychics expect w)rnc skepti- ::ism concerning their abilities. hostile or ,crt skepticism may divert their attention I ultimatciy dectea,~e their efflectivc ress. Consequently. the selection of mcm bets may be crucial to the success of' the -opcration. Likewise, the rrcommcndcd use or more dw one officer has practical implications since it will normally allow sufficient man- power for operational security and logistics (e.g., travel to the crime scene. securing and transporting evidence for the psychic to review. etc.), as well as provide additional opinions, observations, and/or corrobora- tion during debriefings. reviews, or brain- storming sessions. 3. Initially. officers assigned to work %dith the psychic shouO have only general J52nzfliarily with thefarts of tire crime. Since nmy bona fidc psychics appear to have telepathic ability, this recommendation is not really as unusual as it may first appear. 'Tbis is particularly important if one is scri. msly interested in validating the legitimacy -ef the psychic's findings as opposed to find- ing out what is already known. For exam. Plc, there have been several case-, in the itecent past where well-known psychics have either been called in or Irave volun. teered to assist the police. Unfortunately, results of these consultations frequently ~.~A something like this. "While Mr. Psychic was unable to provide authorities CIA-RDP96-00788ROO0100280008-4 with any substantial new leads. officials were amazed that he confinned information previously known only to the police.'* Tbe, point is this, while the confirmation may have been reached independently, it is likely the psycrhic unwittingly elicited the information telepathically from ft officers around him. I 4. All working sessions and interviews with lite psychic should be tape recorded. These tapes should then be transcribed by a typist so that a written record of the psychic's impressions, statements. feel- ings, and concerns regarding the case can be maintained for later review and analysis. Needless to say, the use of parapsychological In- vestigative techniques by law enforcement officers -remains a controversial issue . . . . standardized set of questions that will pro- v,dc uniforTn,ty to the investigation and will allow a comparison of data if more than one psychic is utilized. Questions (tasks) might include: (1) -Can you draw a composite of your impressions of the perpetrator;- (2) "Can you locate the residence of the sub- ject;- and (3) "Would you prepare a profile of the subject which might include age, sex. physical description. occupation, academic back ground. etc.** 7. Consider the use of more than one psychic. 'Mis will enable the investiga- tion to proceed in a more scientific man- ner. Composites can be compared as can the responses to specific- questions or tasks, thus allowing for a more controlled experiment. 8. If the investigation involves more than one case, be aiva" of possible cross- contamination of psychic impressions from one case to another. When this occurs. the psychic will have to be questioned in some detail to dcten-ninc what elicited the impres- sion and specifically to which case he or she believes the information relates. Finally. two remaining caveats. First, while expectations can and should be placed on the psychic investigator, undue pressure to "perform" can have a negative effect on the overall result-, and, ;ccnndiv. psychic accuracy mzy v_- ccnsid and every impression may not be u%cful. Consequently, careful analysis of the psychic's impressions vis-4-vis supporting evidence and/or reasonable supposition must be made. 5. Initialiv, provide the psychic with general but h .mited information on lhe case. This will allow the psychic to develop im- pressions without being unduly influenced by more specific details. As progress is made, more information can be provided and verification or the psychic's impres- sions with existing knowledge about the casc(s) can be given. However. an exces- sive amount of time should m be spent verifying existing knowledge since this may detract from the primary objective of eliciting new information. If the informa- tion the psychic -picks-up" appem rele- vant. provide supportive feedback and encoura2ement. This to only provides the individu'alsorric idea of how helshc is doing but may strengthen the rKychic*s resolve and help further focus his/her effbti. After the psychic has begun to provide im pressions on the case. increased contact can be made with those officers nxw famil- iar with specific details of the case for purpo%e~. of verification of the psychic's impressions arid exploration of potential rr, we PWAvs4f q&.Re1V0I*9DMO/08/07: CIA-RDP915.*'# 6"-W #w format 5 01 the %P.X*AOM CDr*WKMM. CoOrVsC. 6. Be pre1wred to askspecific questions *-MY. VWO WOUW WIVWW go be re abwkft " 0 MMWM Ow wepsv- MMM-Own. -n"Ptl specW zasks. Them should be a Conclusion Experience suggests only a small per- centage of professionals consider the exis- tence of psychic ability an established fact. Conversely, few professionals rule it out as an impossibility. while many feel it is simply unproven at present. Police, mean- while, remain uncertain as to its fact-find- ing potential. Whether police agencies should explore the utility of exti-asensory investigative techniques remains a moot point. Certainly there is controversy; but while fraud and deceit am not unknown qualities in ft realm of psychic phenonxmit. many intri- guing and scientifically unexplainable re- sults have been achieved unoder controlled experimental conditions as well as spon- tanem field situations. with any pcxcntial advance in techn(i' ~y or t hnique. ESP needs to be suffil lot cc ciently field tested. Consequently. police executives are encouraged m to ignol this potential resoum-e but rather place it among their arsenal of investigative tools for fur- ther experimentation and research. Perhaps all.301C. AOIS of the V% YP_WQd*+cIearly psych define&