Creating Language Crimes: How Law Enforcement Uses (and Misuses) Language
Creating Language Crimes: How Law Enforcement Uses (and Misuses) Language
Distinguished Research Professor of Linguistics
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Abstract
This book describes and illustrates eleven powerful conversational strategies used by undercover police officers and cooperating witnesses who secretly tape-record targets in criminal investigations. Twelve actual criminal case studies are used as examples. These strategies creating illusion of guilt include the apparently deliberate use of semantic ambiguity, blocking the targets’ words (by creating static on the tape, interrupting them, speaking on their behalf, and manipulating the off/on switch); rapidly changing the subject before targets can respond (the “hit and run” strategy); contaminating the tape with irrelevant information that can make targets appear to be guilty; camouflaging illegality by making actions appear to be legal; isolating targets from important information that they need in order to make informed choices; inaccurately restating things the target has said; withholding crucial information from targets; lying to targets about critical information; and scripting targets in what to say on tape. These conversational strategies gain power from the fact that the targets do not know that they are being recorded, and often let things go right by them during the discourse. Nor do they know that the real audience of the conversations consists of later jury listeners, who do not know the full context of these conversations. Unlike everyday, unrecorded conversation, the most critical listening takes place at a future time and under very different circumstances. It is shown that undercover officers and their cooperating witnesses make use of essentially the same conversational strategies.
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Front Matter
- INTRODUCTION
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PART I Language Crimes, Conversational Strategies, and Language Power
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PART II Uses by Cooperating Witnesses
- 4 Overlapping, Ambiguity, and the Hit and Run in a Solicitation to Murder Case: Texas v. T. Cullen Davis
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5
Retelling, Scripting, and Lying in a Murder Case: Florida v. Alan Mackerley
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6
Interrupting, Overlapping, Lying, Not Taking “No” for an Answer, and Representing Illegality Differently to Separate Targets in a Stolen Property Case: US v. Prakesh Patel and Daniel Houston
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7
Eleven Little Ambiguities and How They Grew in a Business Fraud Case: US v. Paul Webster and Joe Martino
- 8 Discourse Ambiguity in a Contract Fraud Case: US v. David Smith
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9
Contamination and Manipulation in a Briber y Case: US v. Paul Manziel
- 10 Scripting by Requesting Directives and Apologies in a Sexual Misconduct Case: Idaho v. J. Mussina
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PART III Uses by Law Enforcement Officers
- 11 Police Camouflaging in an Obstruction of Justice Case: US v. Brian Lett
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12
Police Camouflaging in a Purchasing Stolen Property Case: US v. Tariq Shalash
- 13 A Rogue Cop and Every Strategy He Can Think Of: The Wenatchee Washington Sex Ring Case
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14
An Undercover Policeman Uses Ambiguity, Hit and Run, Interrupting, Scripting, and Refusing to Take “No” for an Answer in a Solicitation to Murder Case: The Crown v. Mohammed Arshad
- 15 Manipulating the Tape, Interrupting, Inaccurate Restatements, and Scripting in a Murder Case: Florida v. Jerry Townsend
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PART IV Conversational Strategies as Evidence
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End Matter
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