CIA-RDP96-00788R000100280008-4

SG1J
Sounds
Who they speak from
experience
r Release 2000/08/07 : CIA-RDP96-00788R000100280008-4
1
·
--
Managing the Psychic
In Criminal Investigations
By
THOMAS J. GORDON .. ..
JERRY J. TOBIAS
The term "extra sensory per-
ception" possesses a certain fascination
and magical charm. To many, it conjures
up images of strange and mysterious
events. The thought of an individual pos-
sessing the ability to read thoughts, predict
the future, or reveal the past seems incred-
ible. Yet. the media reports these occur-
rences with considerable regularity, and
professionals are showing increasing in-
terest in this phenomenon.
Historically, the term came into general
use during the 1930s and suggests unusual
human abilities which are scientifically
unexplainable. These are often referred to
as "psychic powers" and looked upon as
supernormal or paranormal, as they do not
adhere to the accepted principles of scien-
tific 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 enforcement
officials involved in investigations are
being approached by individuals who
claim to possess powers of extrasensory
perception and wish to offer their services.
However, to the average police officer.
often skeptical by nature and 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 are trained to conduct investiga-
tions in an orderly fashion. They develop
and organize leads, gather and maintain
evidence, interview witnesses and/or sus-
pects, and proceed in a methodical deduc-
tive manner. Consequently, the introduc-
tion of a paranormal investigative technique
not only raises the specter of the occult.
but is often perceived as damaging to the
credibility, expertise, and professional
prerogatives of the police. In a sense, it is
an embarrassment.
While it is true psychic "investigators"
have been consulted in a number of police
investigations, they are 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 parapsychc
ogical investigative techniques by la
enforcement officers remains a controve
sial issue. However, despite these co
cems. individuals with bona fide psych
ability offer a unique and potentially val.
able investigative skill. Thus, it is not u
intent of this article to encourage or di
courage the use of the psychic, but rather
provide some general guidelines for ti
management of psychic investigatio
should a decision be made to proceed in th
direction.
Guidelines
The first and perhaps most important st
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 demc
strated a "track record" in other investig
tions 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 over nine years. He holds the B.A. in
psychology and M.A. in clinical psychology from Oakland Uni-
versity and is currently a doctoral candidate in educational/soc-
ial psychology af the University of Michigan.
JERRY J. TOBIAS, Ed.D., P.O. Box 503, Bloomfield Hills, Michi-
gan 48013, is a professor of education and human services at
the University of Detroit, and a youth officer for the Southfield
Township, Michigan, Police Department.
Approved For Release 2000/08/07 : CIA-RDP96-00788R000100280008-4
THE POLICE CHIEF/MAY 1979
58

Approved For Release 2000/08/07 : CIA-RDP96-00788R000100280008-4
.
for whom there is some docu-
evidence of psychic ability, (2) in-
ing the chance of success in the inves-
on, and (3) providing further legiti-
ation for the decision to explore para-
ormal investigative techniques.
Next, a series of operational decisions
ust be made. Although situational cir-
Jmstances may require some alteration in
ic 'following recommendations, each
would be carefully considered:
1. The decision to engage in psychic
westigation should be kept confidential
ntil after the psychic has completed the
ask. It has been our experience that
maintaining the confidentiality of the oper-
tion until its completion allows the psychic
work unfettered by pressures and expec-
ations external to the investigation. It also
naintains the propriety of the investigative
ffort and virtually eliminates the potential
for a "circus" atmosphere.
2. The selection of a team of officers to
work with the psychic is of central impor-
Lance. The team should be composed of at
least two or three officers who are fairly
open-minded in regard to the existence of
psychic ability. It must be remembered that
while most psychics expect some skepti-
cism concerning their abilities. hostile or
"wert skepticism may divert their attention
I ultimately decrease their effective-
ness. Consequently. the selection of mem-
bers may be crucial to the success of the
operation.
Likewise, the recommended use of more
than 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
with the psychic should have only general
familiarity with the facts of the crime. Since
many bona fide psychics appear to have
telepathic ability, this recommendation is
not really as unusual as it may first appear.
This is particularly important if one is seri-
ously interested in validating the legitimacy
of the psychic's findings as opposed to find-
ing out what is already known. For exam-
ple, there have been several cases in the
recent past where well-known psychics
have either been called in or have volun-
teered to assist the police. Unfortunately,
results of these consultations frequently
.cad something like this, "While Mr.
Psychic was unable to provide authorities
with any substantial new leads. officials
were amazed that he confirmed information
previously known only to the police. " The
point is this, while the confirmation may
have been reached independently, it is
likely the psychic unwittingly elicited the
information telepathically from the officers
around him.'
4. All working sessions and interviews
with the 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
. .
5. Initially, provide the psychic with
general but limited information on the 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 of the psychic's impres-
sions with existing knowledge about the
case(s) can be given. However, an exces-
sive amount of time should not 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" appears rek-
vant, provide supportive feedback and
encouragement. This not only provides the
individual some idea of how he/she is doing
but may strengthen the psychic's resolve
and help further focus his/her effort.
After the psychic has begun to provide
impressions on the case. increased contact
can be made with those officers most famil-
iar with specific details of the case for
purposes of verification of the psychic's
impressions and exploration of potential
standardized set of questions that will pro-
vide uniformity 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
background, etc."
7. Consider the use of more than one
psychic. This 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 aware 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 determine 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 results and, secondly.
psychic accuracy may vary' considerably
and every impression may not be useful.
Consequently, careful analysis of the
psychic's impressions vis-à-vis supporting
evidence and/or reasonable supposition
must be made.
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 extrasensory investigative
techniques remains a moot point. Certainly
there is controversy; but while fraud and
deceit are not unknown qualities in the
realm of psychic phenomena, many intri-
guing and scientifically unexplainable re-
sults have been achieved under controlled
experimental conditions as well as spon-
taneous field situations.
As with any potential advance in techno-
logy or technique. ESP needs to be suffi-
ciently field tested. Consequently, police
executives are encouraged not to ignore this
potential resource but rather place it among
their arsenal of investigative tools for fur-
ther experimentation and research. Perhaps
psychic
int
90 98 4 clearly
6. Be prepared to ask specific questions
or request special tasks. There should be a defined. *
1 The terature suggests
beyond the normal bounds of the space time continuum. Conso-
quandy, there would appear to be no absolute way to misure the
prevention of telepathic contamination.
Approved For Release 2000/08/07 : CIA-RDP96-00788R000105846 6 of the