Looking for military interrogators...

I am conducting a study designed to address some of the gaps in knowledge about interrogations conducted by military interrogators and their counterparts in federal counterterrorism agencies in the United States and provide information about methods from their perspectives, based on their experiences. Kassin and his colleagues(2007) conducted the first self-report survey of best interrogation practices and beliefs of law enforcement officers and this study will follow that model, using different populations to obtain two distinct samples: military interrogators and counterterrorism agents. Like that study, this survey will ask participants to address and self-report on a number of issues, some in common with law enforcement and others that apply specifically to military and counter terrorism interrogations.

Participants will be asked to estimate, rate and self-report on a number of facets of their work: (1) their ability to detect truth or deception; (2) for military interrogators, their own opinions and practices with regard to 13 of the general approach techniques authorized by the U.S. Army Intelligence and Interrogation Handbook; (3) the importance of rapport building to extract information from a subject; (4) the applicability of law enforcement techniques to interrogations of terrorists; (5) the frequency, length and timing of interrogations and (6) training. Like the law enforcement study, the goal here is to obtain common practices, observations, and beliefs about interrogations directly from military interrogators and counterterrorism agents. Subsequent research can then test the interrogation methods that the subjects of this study believe are the most effective and focus on practices and beliefs unique to the military and counterterrorism context. This study will begin to shed light on practices currently in use by counterterrorism agents and the United States Army, provide potential empirical support for those practices that prove efficacious, and highlight those techniques that are of little value. It can dispel myths under which interrogators may operate.

Interrogators know better than I do that good intelligence obtained from human sources can save lives and win wars. Science can help point the way. Please contact me if you would like to help or participate.