John E. Reid

John E. Reid (August 16, 1910—January 11, 1982) was an American psychologist, police officer, and polymorph expert. He was a Chicago police officer who is known for The Reid Technique method of interrogation.

John Reid was born on August 16, 1910.

He was a street police officer in Chicago, Illinois. As a police officer, Reid developed a reputation as someone skilled in getting criminals to confess. At the time, it was a common practice for the police to subjugate suspects to intense grilling (3rd degree). Reid, on the other hand, used modern science with an understanding of human psychology.

In 1945, Reid wrote and published an article entitled, Simulated Blood Pressure Responses in Lie-Detection Tests and a Method for Their Detection. He had observed that muscular pressures were accountable for many responses that were mistakenly considered deceptive responses. He came up with a unit for recording such movements during regular Polygraph tests. Two years later, he published his article A Revised Questioning Technique in Lie-Detection Tests in which a fictitious crime question was used for "control" purposes.

After nearly 40 years of service, Reid became a consultant and polygraph expert and established John E. Reid & Associates, Inc. in Chicago, Illinois, in 1947. His clients included police forces, private security companies, the military, the F.B.I., the C.I.A., and the Secret Service.

In 1955, Reid was asked for his help in solving a murder case in Lincoln, Nebraska. Reid was able to gain a confession from the suspect, Darrel Parker, for Parker's wife's murder. The Parker case helped establish Reid in the field and he subsequently hired new employees, took on more clients, and developed more sophisticated methods of questioning. The case popularized his criminal interrogation technique, which became widely known as The Reid Technique.

The Reid Technique begins with the Behavior Analysis Interview, in which one determines whether the suspect is lying. The interview has its roots in polygraph testing and involves asking a series of non-threatening questions to get a sense of the suspect's baseline behavior and then following up with more loaded questions. The technique is recognized by the courts in the United States and since its spread in the 1960s, it has been a mainstay of police procedure in the United States.

Reid was married to Margaret McCarthy.

Reid passed away on January 11, 1982, at the age of 72. His company John E. Reid & Associates, Inc. continues to function in Chicago.