• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Subscribe to the Magazine
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Featured
    • Operation Gratitude stops by NYPD precinct
      Drury University “Badge to Bachelors” program offers scholarships...
      HBCU makes history
      “We were swamped”— gun permits surge in Wake County
      Stray beagle finds a home and purpose with local police
  • Topics
    • On the Job
      • Good Samaritans rescue police officer from burning vehicle
        NYPD will deploy undercover officers in Asian communities for...
        Portland police chief takes responsibility for leaks damaging...
        Half of troopers at a Michigan State Police outpost are women
        Lessons learned: How police strategy has evolved to deal with mass...
    • Labor
      • NYPD unions attribute rise in crime to bail reform laws
        Seattle police budget cuts lead to slower response times for priority...
        The Firefighter Corollary
        New Jersey “Burnout Bill” could allow police officers and...
        Union says “many” U.S. Capitol Police officers want to leave the...
    • Tech
      • Law enforcement begins testing Skydio drones
        Technology gives police an edge in chases
        Data-driven investigations
        Police technology: Why so far behind?
        Charlotte-Mecklenburg police use key technology to battle crime wave
    • Training
      • Patterns, habits and deviations
        Training the best for the worst
        “We were swamped”— gun permits surge in Wake County
        Firearms vs. scenario-based training
        New PT standard for future officers draws objections
    • Policy
      • San Francisco lawmaker wants California to repeal its jaywalking due...
        Texas House bill takes aim law enforcement on reality TV
        Arizona bill would limit civilians on police review boards
        Iowa bill banning combined police and fire departments targets Cedar...
        California bill to mandate handgun microstamping would increase costs...
    • Health/Wellness
      • Awareness is not enough
        Practicing gratitude
        Post-traumatic stress: causes, symptoms and ways to heal
        Busted: Five myths about marital counseling
        Pandemic, protests and purpose
    • Community
      • Former police officer continues to serve the community by teaching at...
        Fueling goodwill
        Nonprofit foundation strengthens relationships between students and...
        Operation Gratitude stops by NYPD precinct
        Flag flareup
    • Humor
      • Alabama police capture runaway kangaroo
        The missing kangaroo returns home to Stokoe Farms in Scottsville
        Chick-Fil-A customer door-checks fleeing suspect
        Wisconsin driver pulled over for driving while seated on a camping...
        North Carolina sheriff’s office offers humorous “Valentine’s...
    • We Remember
      • Boulder residents pay respects to fallen officer Eric Talley
        Locked up forever
        Tampa Bay grieves over the loss of officers
        New Jersey police veteran who helped in 9/11 aftermath dies
        LA Police Officer Reinstated 120 Years after Being Unjustly Fired
  • On the Job
    • Good Samaritans rescue police officer from burning vehicle
      NYPD will deploy undercover officers in Asian communities for...
      Portland police chief takes responsibility for leaks damaging...
      Half of troopers at a Michigan State Police outpost are women
      Lessons learned: How police strategy has evolved to deal with mass...
  • Labor
    • NYPD unions attribute rise in crime to bail reform laws
      Seattle police budget cuts lead to slower response times for priority...
      The Firefighter Corollary
      New Jersey “Burnout Bill” could allow police officers and...
      Union says “many” U.S. Capitol Police officers want to leave the...
  • Tech
    • Law enforcement begins testing Skydio drones
      Technology gives police an edge in chases
      Data-driven investigations
      Police technology: Why so far behind?
      Charlotte-Mecklenburg police use key technology to battle crime wave
  • Training
    • Patterns, habits and deviations
      Training the best for the worst
      “We were swamped”— gun permits surge in Wake County
      Firearms vs. scenario-based training
      New PT standard for future officers draws objections
  • Policy
    • San Francisco lawmaker wants California to repeal its jaywalking due...
      Texas House bill takes aim law enforcement on reality TV
      Arizona bill would limit civilians on police review boards
      Iowa bill banning combined police and fire departments targets Cedar...
      California bill to mandate handgun microstamping would increase costs...
  • Health/Wellness
    • Awareness is not enough
      Practicing gratitude
      Post-traumatic stress: causes, symptoms and ways to heal
      Busted: Five myths about marital counseling
      Pandemic, protests and purpose
  • Community
    • Former police officer continues to serve the community by teaching at...
      Fueling goodwill
      Nonprofit foundation strengthens relationships between students and...
      Operation Gratitude stops by NYPD precinct
      Flag flareup
  • Humor
    • Alabama police capture runaway kangaroo
      The missing kangaroo returns home to Stokoe Farms in Scottsville
      Chick-Fil-A customer door-checks fleeing suspect
      Wisconsin driver pulled over for driving while seated on a camping...
      North Carolina sheriff’s office offers humorous “Valentine’s...
  • We Remember
    • Boulder residents pay respects to fallen officer Eric Talley
      Locked up forever
      Tampa Bay grieves over the loss of officers
      New Jersey police veteran who helped in 9/11 aftermath dies
      LA Police Officer Reinstated 120 Years after Being Unjustly Fired
  • Jobs and Careers
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Search

Training

Patterns, habits and deviations

Hone your investigative insight by identifying your biases

Chris Atha Published March 25, 2021 @ 9:00 am PDT

iStock.com/nikitje

“From where we stand, the rain seems random. If we could stand somewhere else, we would see the order in it.” — Tony Hillerman, Coyote Waits

Patterns and habits exist not only in the lives of those we investigate, but also within our own investigative tactics, techniques and procedures. A keen eye for both will improve your investigative insight. However, pattern recognition is not only limited to what we see in an investigation; it also means being aware of our own potential investigative biases, which hopefully will induce a certain level of skepticism. For a brief exercise in introspection and pattern recognition, consider the following scene.

Early in the morning, the alarm played a distinct audible tone. I rose, made coffee, ingested coffee and repeated those necessary steps. I then got dressed, talked to my wife, hugged my son and headed out the door. I continued this pattern the following day, and the next day, and the next day. I carried out this routine for a few years, unless there was an interruption or deviation. What caused the deviation? Perhaps the catalyst was a sick child, a family emergency, a call for service or a crime that was investigated the day or night before. An added influence in all the cases? In this initial dissection of my morning routine, which many of you will recognize as your own, several key elements were missed or overlooked. Identifying those elements can help us consider our investigative bias. 

I encourage any individual tasked with any type of investigation to think critically, outside of the box, to fight their investigative bias. This may be a challenging task, as bias can manifest and prove to be a hindrance in investigations. For us to hunt for it, we must first define it. Psychology Ph.D. candidate Chris Sanders defines investigative bias as follows: “Bias is a predisposition towards a certain way of thinking, and it can be the difference in a successful or failed investigation. In some ways, bias is good when it allows us to learn from our previous mistakes and create mental shortcuts to solving problems. In other ways, it’s bad and can lead us to waste time pursuing bad leads or jump to conclusions without adequate evidence” (chrissanders.org/2017/01/know-your-bias-1-foundations).

Investigative bias can be as drastic as an example of manifest destiny. Often investigative bias is one we are familiar with: “This is the way we do it,” “This is the way I was taught” or “This is how I saw someone do it.” These statements are not meant to draw away from valuable experience and training; to the contrary, they are meant to instill awareness and skepticism. I have found the common theme in any battle with my own investigative bias has been because of previous mentoring with great intentions. To garner some introspection about investigative bias, let us retrace the morning routine mentioned above and break down each piece. 

Early in the morning, the alarm played a distinct audible tone. What defines early in the morning? Is this statement an example of bias within the investigation? Am I predisposed to judge what is early? If this tone had come from a Timex watch, not a smart watch, would you have thought to record all the settings and user inputs? If this were your investigation, would you do the same on the timepiece worn by your alleged suspect(s) or victim(s)? This is even more critical in 2021, as the timepiece may be a smart device, a fitness tracker, or a potentially standalone cellular or Wi-Fi-serviced device. 

I then got dressed, talked to my wife, hugged my son and headed out the door. Did getting dressed involve the use of an iron? If it did, was the iron returned to its original place? Was it left plugged in and turned off, or plugged in and turned on? Do any of these show a potential deviation from your perceived understanding of normal? Does my home have more than one door? Did I exit through the door I normally use? Where did I park? Am I checking my mobile device during this time? Have I began communicating with other parties? Do the utility companies with whom I am a customer have detailed metrics of energy usage by legal process? Does my wife have an alarm set? Is there any sign the alarm was silenced, or did it complete its programmed sequence? If the alarm was silenced, was there a later alarm set? Did everyone appear to wake up on time? Does a perceived deviation exist in what you may think is normal? 

Your definition of normality may be a form of investigative bias. Did you bother to serve legal process because in the past it did not prove fruitful? Have you or a member of your investigative team received professional training in investigations? Was the training approached with the same bias-fighting mentality to search for fact, rather than opinion?

While these questions may appear odd as a direct interrogation of a morning routine, it is when we stand somewhere else that we begin to see the order in the raindrops. Often, the recognition of our own investigative bias must occur prior to beginning to recognize the deviations in someone else’s routine. What is more common among humans than the routine we welcome the day with?

While this is not an exhaustive and all-inclusive review of all nuances and avenues within an investigation scenario, consider it a 20% completed exercise reminiscent of Highlights magazine’s “spot the difference” puzzles. While analyzing the nuances used to help solve investigations, always remember to take cognitive steps to ward off your own investigative biases. Only when we realize our own biases can we induce skepticism about our own practices and notions. Subtle changes are only visible when we allow ourselves and other members of our investigative team to see them. Keep your eyes open, allow your investigation to be driven by unbiased facts, and follow sound practices in the execution of tactics, techniques and procedures. Stay safe, act with the highest ethics and always stand on fact. 


Chris Atha is a high-tech crime specialist with the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C) focusing on research, technical assistance and training for advanced digital forensics topics. Previously, he served as an electronic crime detective for a large law enforcement agency. Chris has been disclosed as an expert witness in cases in multiple federal court districts in various states throughout the East Coast, and has spoken at a variety of information security conferences, including BSides Charleston and Hackercon. He is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).  

As seen in the March 2021 issue of American Police Beat magazine.
Don’t miss out on another issue today! Click below:

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

Categories: Training

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • Good Samaritans rescue police officer from burning vehicle
  • NYPD will deploy undercover officers in Asian communities for protection
  • Portland police chief takes responsibility for leaks damaging public’s trust
  • Boulder residents pay respects to fallen officer Eric Talley
  • Half of troopers at a Michigan State Police outpost are women
  • San Francisco lawmaker wants California to repeal its jaywalking due to disproportionate enforcement against people of color
  • Former police officer continues to serve the community by teaching at local schools
  • Texas House bill takes aim law enforcement on reality TV
  • Lessons learned: How police strategy has evolved to deal with mass shootings
  • Arizona bill would limit civilians on police review boards
Advertise with APB

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Categories

  • Featured
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Humor
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers

Editor’s Picks

Ass-kissing, favoritism, oh my!

Ass-kissing, favoritism, oh my!

January 28, 2021

This K-9 is a gym rat at heart!

This K-9 is a gym rat at heart!

January 25, 2021

A thread of courage and love

A thread of courage and love

January 20, 2021

The job doesn’t love you back

The job doesn’t love you back

December 28, 2020

Privacy Policy | Copyright © 2021 American Police Beat, Inc. | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close
Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.