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It's legal for police to use deception in interrogations. Some want that to end

Advocates want that to end By Meg Anderson Friday, November 8, 2024 • 4:48 PM EST Heard on All Things Considered Ted Bradford says the worst day of his life was when detectives took him into a tiny room to question him about a rape. “The whole day it was like accusation after accusation,” he says.

When it comes to children and teenagers, a growing number of states are stopping that practice: Ten have passed laws in recent years effectively banning police from lying to juveniles during interrogations, starting with Illinois in 2021. In Washington state, where Bradford was convicted, Democratic lawmakers want to set a higher bar: A bill that would make incriminating statements made in police custody – by adults or children – largely inadmissible in court if obtained using deception. The Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs declined NPR’s request for an interview, but said in a statement that it opposes such a measure, because banning deception would take away a tactic that yields “many more true confessions” than false ones.

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