John Bowden

On Language, Communication, and Leadership

John Bowden is the founder and director of Applied Police Training and Certification. John retired from the Orlando Police Department as a Master Police Officer In 1994. His career spans a period of 21 years in law enforcement overlapping 25 years of law enforcement instruction. His total of more than 37 years of experience includes all aspects of law enforcement to include: uniform crime scene technician, patrol operations, investigations, undercover operations, planning and research for departmental development, academy coordinator, field training officer and field training supervisor.

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Why police investigators should write reports in first person
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Using first person makes your reports more clear and easy to read
3 ways showing respect can advance your investigation
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Failing to show respect to people may prevent you from getting information essential to your investigation
Setting up the interrogation: 5 accusation techniques for investigators
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This important phase of the investigation is not the presentation of evidence — it is where we advise the subject that we know (without a doubt) that they committed the crime
7 types of witnesses and how to interview them
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Considering these seven types of witnesses before going into your investigation can maximize the results of your interviews
6 factors that tell police if a witness is credible
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Considering these six characteristics which affect a subject’s credibility will give you a head start on getting the best information for your case
How subjects' perceptions can hamper a police investigation
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The following is an example of how each person’s perception can distort the interpretation of an event by participants and witnesses, and consequently create hurdles for the investigators of the in...
Why every perspective in an investigation matters
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All the subjects involved in an incident have their own idea of what happened based on their observation of what happened
2 more great interrogation techniques: The "lying child" and the "logical approach"
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People do not like to be pushed — they like to be involved in the process, and by their involvement, we can lead them to a confession
How to get more suspect confessions by being a ‘car salesman’
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A physical trigger can be all it takes to convince a suspect to tell us their story
Quickly read, analyze, and interpret body language
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I came up with five categories of general behavior — it is not a total list of all behaviors, but rather, a list of general behavior — to look for during an interview or interrogation
6 language patterns to prompt a confession
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Kevin Hogan has written numerous books on communication techniques applicable to both sales and our investigative tool of interrogation — here, we’ll examine the use of language patterns
Interview and interrogation: Breaking the alibi
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“He who has not a good memory should never take upon himself the trade of lying.”
— Michel de Montaigne 1533-1592
How to write organized and concise police reports
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Set the scene, by introducing the people, property and other information before it is discussed
Everyone lies: Building a rapport with your suspect
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Once you’ve established the definition of a lie and the psychological set, ask the subject a question such as ‘Have you ever lied to your children to make them behave?’
Eye contact and deception, as seen on TV
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On an episode of Dateline NBC, Chris Hansen is interviewing a male subject that has arrived to meet a 15-year-old girl. Chris asks the subject the age of the girl he is there to meet. The subject m...
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