The “good cop, bad cop” interrogation process that has been seen in a multitude of Hollywood productions is a real technique used by law enforcement officers trying to provoke a confession from suspected criminals.
The idea behind “good cop, bad cop” can be seen as far back as Homer’s Iliad,
according to TV Tropes. “Fear not, let no thought of death be in your mind,” said “good cop” Odysseus to his and Diomedes prisoner. Diomedes takes a harsher approach, eventually striking the prisoner in the neck with his sword.
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However, the actual application of the approach to police work did not come until John E. Reid published the “Reid Technique of Interviewing and Interrogation” in 1974. This technique, which Reid taught to private investigators and seminars of law enforcement officers throughout the 1970s, is a three-step process involving factual analysis, interviewing and interrogation,
according to the John E. Reid and Associates Inc. website.
The interrogation component of the “Reid Technique of Interviewing and Interrogation” is the “good cop, bad cop” technique. During interrogation, the suspect is placed in an isolated room and is first introduced to an overbearing and uncompromising officer who attempts to convince the suspect that the cops already know of the individual’s criminal activity. The ultimate goal of the first officer, or “bad cop,” is to force a confession out of the suspect.
If the “bad cop” fails to incite a confession with fear and intimidation, the suspect is then introduced to the “good cop,” who expresses compassion for the alleged criminal. The “good cop” tries to provoke a confession from the suspect by persuading them that it is in their best interest to confess. Often, a “good cop” will tell a suspect that if they confess they may get to leave or will get a lighter sentencing.
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