Earlier this month, a senior member of the Australian Federal police was suspended for consulting a local psychic in the course of a police investigation. The detective had been investigating an assassination threat made on the Australian prime minister, and turned to a family friend and clairvoyant when other leads had reached a dead end. He has been accused of misconduct, and of breaching confidentiality on a matter of national security. In an official statement to the Australian press, the AFP disclosed that it "does not condone the use of psychics in security matters."
This comes as a surprise to much of the international community. While the public may disagree on the effectiveness of using psychics in police investigations, it has hardly been characterized as a criminal action. Prime time television is filled with scenarios involving cops pairing with psychics, and it is not unusual to hear reports of extrasensory perception through major news sources. In fact, while it is still far from commonplace, members of law enforcement in other countries, including the US, openly admit to turning to individuals sensitive to psychic energies during the course of police investigations.
Historically, the solving of mysteries through unconventional sources is hardly unprecedented. In many civilizations, oracles were consulted to locate missing persons, and there is documentation of the official use of other unconventional methods, such as divining rods, dreaming and spirit communication. Of course, astrology has been employed as a source of guidance for centuries. But just how common is the use of psychics by police officials? It is often hard to determine because police departments seeking or receiving this type of assistance can become targets of criticism and skepticism if not official reprimand, as in the case of the Australian officer.
A survey conducted in Pennsylvania in 1996 revealed that 16% of the police departments surveyed reported having used psychic help in the course of an investigation. The conductors of the survey, The Police Use of Psychics: A phACT Study, went on to interview several of the officers who responded. One 25-year veteran detective who consulted a psychic in a missing persons case shared his personal philosophy on the combination of extrasensory and conventional investigative techniques:
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"Personally I think there's something there. I've always been very open-minded about things like that. But who knows. Psychics are used commonly in major police cases across the country. A lot of the law enforcement officers involved won't admit it. But they are; they're used as a matter of routine for major murder cases or missing person cases, things like that, throughout all major cities, and state police, across the country."
Another officer interviewed, a chief in a different Pennsylvania department, also advocated for his department's use of psychic help. "She (the psychic consultant) was a big part in this. Everything that she told us led us right to this guy. She was very, very helpful."
But not everyone surveyed condoned consulting clairvoyants. 78% claimed never to have consulted a psychic, and 10% admitted to being offered psychic assistance in a case and declining. Many police officials, even those who consulted psychics with seemingly positive results, remained skeptical. While such consultations may be used to lead investigators in a certain direction, they are in no way admissible as evidence. And even when accurate, psychic predictions can be problematic in solving a case because of their controversial and unverifiable nature. Vernon J. Geberth, a retired officer of the NYPD, offers some guidelines to consulting psychics in law enforcement in his book, Practical Homicide Investigation.
1. The psychic's performance will be tested by results
2. The psychic will have a distinct method of operation
3. The psychic should be considered as an aid in developing clues
4. The police should provide all follow-up to information offered
5. Since there are no scientific guidelines, the police must determine whether the psychic's claims are legitimate or worth pursuing
6. Officers who cannot accept a psychic's work should not get involved, as their attitudes can block the psychic's effectiveness
7. The psychic should offer information not available to the public in publicized reports, as a way to prove his or her special insight
8. All conversations with the psychic should be taped
Clearly, there is some precedent to using psychics in police investigations. But while such consultations may not have lead to official disciplinary action, as in the case of the Australian detective, they do remain controversial. There is no reason to assume that these consultations will not continue to occur, albeit somewhat quietly, in investigations throughout the US and in other nations. Most of the officers surveyed admitted that they turned to psychics only when all other leads had dead ended, and many employ strict and responsible guidelines like those advocated by Geberth. As long as unconventional assistance is obtained responsibly, and both objectivity and confidentiality are respected, where is the crime?
With so many unanswered questions and unsolved cases, it is not surprising that investigators are sometimes willing to seek answers from unconventional sources. And there's no doubt that consulting psychics in criminal matters has proven important in numerous cases worldwide.
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