Laura A. Zimmerman

• PhD
• Researcher at Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers

In cases where officers communicated with a positive tenor (e.g., demeanor), suspects were compliant 99.3% of the time. Similarly, the use of noncoercive verbal communication and directives (e.g., asking, suggesting, persuading) were also shown to significantly increase suspect compliance. However, accusing suspects of wrongdoing and using other co...

Research Summary This study investigated the impact of patrol officer communication tactics on suspect compliance by using Systematic Social Observation (SSO) to code 438 body‐worn camera and dashcam video recordings from two police agencies. Specifically, we examined officer tenor/demeanor, use of noncoercive directives, use of verbal coercion, an...

This chapter describes the evolution of suspect interview training at the US Department of Homeland Security Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC). This evolution reflects recent advances in empirical understanding of harmful and beneficial interview practices along with the development of new evidence-based techniques. This chapter firs...

Although researchers have generated many studies related to police use of force, with an increasing focus on de-escalation, none have sought to systematically assess escalation, related factors, and the extent to which force usage may be considered appropriate from an objectively reasonable framework. Using video-based data (N = 540) from two agenc...

This study explored the decision‐making processes of soldiers as they evaluated scenarios containing information offering various levels of certainty. Soldiers with different levels of experience read scenarios that presented potential threats and then identified the priority threat, their confidence in this identification, and the cues they used t...

As police agencies continue to incorporate body-worn cameras, it becomes increasingly important for researchers and practitioners to explore how to best use these data to better understand patterns of suspect and police behavior. Thus, drawing on a joint project between the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers and Arizona State University, we e...

This study explored the performance of interpreters in military intelligence-gathering interrogations. We coded transcripts of 10 interrogations of one detainee at an overseas U.S. military detention facility. The same interrogator conducted each session with the assistance of two interpreters who participated in one session together and worked alo...

This study tested the ability of experienced interviewers and novice observers to detect deception while watching mock interviews featuring experimental or control questioning methods and different detainee languages. The protocol featured a complex, realistic critical event and naturalistic interviews in which mock detainees could report unconstra...

PurposeThe current study seeks to expand the deception detection literature by using real-world pre-interrogative interviews to discern differences in how novices (students) versus experts (police officers) make judgments about truths and lies. Methods Videotapes of routine traffic stops depicting either liars (incriminating evidence was found in t...

A key to success in counterinsurgency operations involves finding ways to identify the insurgents within the population. Success will likely require that Soldiers develop the cultural and information gathering skills necessary to develop a detailed knowledge of the "human terrain" in their area of operations. This report documents research conducte...

Today operators in complex task domains such as aviation, process control, medicine and the military must work closely with automation to achieve levels of performance that would be impossible to reach independently. To maximize the full benefit of this man-machine relationship operator trust must be appropriately calibrated with the trustworthines...

Transforming research findings into policy recommendations requires evaluative criteria beyond traditional academic review. Policy development involves entire literatures, and criteria for examining adequacy of the underlying research as a policy base are needed. At the level of the studies many are obvious: high quality studies, well reported and...

Eyewitness identification evidence is an important aspect of our legal system. Society relies on witnesses to identify suspects whom they have observed during the commission of a crime. Because a witness has only a mental representation of the individual he or she observed, law enforcement must rely on verbal descriptions and identification procedu...

Computer technology has become an increasingly important tool for conducting eyewitness identifications. In the area of lineup identifications, computerized administration offers several advantages for researchers and law enforcement. PC_Eyewitness is designed specifically to administer lineups. To assess this new lineup technology, two studies wer...

High-level U.S. Armed Forces commanders must often juggle multiple roles while performing in high-stakes, rapidly evolving operational environments. Newly assigned Joint Forces Air Component Commanders (JFACCs) make decisions that affect not only military operations, but also have impact on international political, economic, and social structures....

Psychological researchers have brought a scientific understanding to the collection of eyewitness evidence, and have proposed a variety of recommendations designed to improve its reliability. However, such procedures can only be implemented through successful collaboration between researchers and law enforcement personnel. Research and development...

Eyewitness accounts of criminal events play a vital part in solving crimes, yet research shows that witness descriptions are usually incomplete and often erroneous. Interview techniques have been developed in an attempt to increase the amount and accuracy of witness descriptive reports. Two interview techniques will be assessed: the Guided memory I...

Decisions made by police officers in dynamic situations with ambiguous information, time pressure, and high-stakes outcomes, are often attributed to intuition and more precise explanations about what led to these decisions are often not offered. Perhaps this is because little is known about the factors that contribute to officers' decisions, or abo...