BOSTON, Dec. 12, 2014—Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley last week hosted a psychology professor and a veteran police investigator for a two-day training in cutting-edge interview techniques as part of his ongoing continuing education program.

The training, led by Prof. Brent Snook of the Memorial University of Newfoundland and Constable Todd Barron of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, introduced Suffolk prosecutors to the interview method known as PEACE – for Preparation and Planning, Engage and Explain, Account, Closure, and Evaluation. Members of the DA’s Homicide and Senior Trial units attended the training on Friday and Saturday.

Prof. Brent Snook of the University of Newfoundland speaks to senior Suffolk prosecutors on the PEACE method of interviewing as part of a two-day training on eliciting reliable information from witnesses and suspects without leading their responses or tainting their memories. The training was part of the DA’s continuing legal education requirement for assistant district attorneys, which allows them to hone their skills and exposes them to emerging criminal justice strategies.

“There is no law school class that teaches prosecutors interview techniques,” Conley said. “High court decisions tell us what is and isn’t legally acceptable, but they don’t tell us what’s effective. This seminar filled a significant gap in prosecutor training by offering scientifically-sound strategies for eliciting reliable information from suspects and witnesses without leading their statements or tainting their memories.”

The PEACE method was developed in England as a response to a series of false confessions by innocent suspects who were convicted of crimes they did not commit. It’s based on scientific research on how memory works, and was developed by police investigators who collaborated with psychologists. Conley has been a leader in efforts to identify, correct, and prevent wrongful convictions in Boston and Suffolk County, and previously hosted a different training by two nationally-recognized experts in preventing such false confessions. These and other trainings come under Conley’s continuing legal education requirement for Suffolk prosecutors, which allows them to continue honing their skills and exposes them to emerging fields of criminal law.

“Our reforms in gathering and using eyewitness identifications have been called the ‘gold standard’ by leaders in the field,” Conley said. “Our voluntary policies on post-conviction access to DNA evidence and testing were in place years before changes in the law forced other jurisdictions to adopt them. This is just one more way we’re working to ensure that Suffolk prosecutors are raising the bar for professionalism, integrity, and justice for the people we serve.”

The training marked the second time this year that Suffolk prosecutors received continuing education on the latest interview techniques.  In March, they heard from retired Detective Jim Trainum, formerly of the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, and retired FBI Special Agent Gregg McCrary, formerly of the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, for the seminar, entitled “Witness Interviews: Investigative Processes, Practices, and Pitfalls.”

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