Statement Analysis
Comen International experts G. Brown & Associates (GBA) employ the terms "Statement Analysis" and "forensic handwriting analysis" to describe the overall process used to analyze handwritten, printed (typewritten/computer generated) and oral/tape recorded statements to identify investigative leads. This process includes three distinct, but related, techniques. GBA employs these tools primarily to focus investigative effort by corporate security departments, legal investigators and attorneys, and private investigators in general.
PERSONALITY/CHARACTER BEHAVIORAL PROFILING
The first step in an analysis is of the handwriting itself to determine the personality and likely behavioral characteristics of the writer. Although most everyone is capable of committing a crime under certain circumstances, most law-abiding citizens have "control traits" in their personality that inhibit them and make it unlikely they will commit a crime. GBA looks for those characteristics that (1) have been shown to appear more frequently in those persons known to have committed crimes, and (2) facilitate rationalization of their actions when given the opportunity to commit a crime.
Those traits include, but are not limited to: resentment of authority figures, disregard for rules and regulations, unusually strong desire to acquire things (especially money), anger, jealousy, unusual aggressiveness, unpredictable emotional responsiveness, strong repression of deeply felt experiences, and many more.
Attorneys (re. jury selection) will be particularly interested in traits such as generosity (civil suits/product liability), ability to analyze complicated matters, attention span, etc. and, when evaluating opposing counsel, judges, clients and key witnesses, not only determining truthfulness (re. clients and witnesses), but what the best style/approach he/she should use to obtain the desired results.
Different types of crimes are usually committed by different personalities. For example, an investigator would normally not look for the same traits in the writing to help identify an arsonist as when looking for a serial killer or a slick "con-man."
FORM VARIANCE ANALYSIS
This technique examines the writing to determine the variances in slant, speed, pressure, margins, size, spelling, and spacing to identify when and about what a person may be having a problem (often lying) in writing his/her statement. This technique utilizes the principle that when a person is being truthful, the writing will normally flow relatively smoothly in whatever style the writer normally writes. But, when a person is about to lie, he/she is concentrating on the content of the writing and not how they are putting those comments (the making of the strokes) on paper. The subconscious "knows" the person is about to lie, causing slight physiological changes, which, in turn, cause small variations in the writing. An analyst can identify the variances, eliminate those that are naturally occurring (such as pen skips, or difficult to spell words, etc.). Evaluation of those patterns/variations often reveals when and about what a person is lying, or, at least, having a "problem," suggesting area(s) for further investigation.
PSYCHOLINGUISTIC/CONTENT ANALYSIS
This term, as applied by GBA, relates to the developing scientific study of the actual words and phrases used by open and truthful persons vs. withholding and/or untruthful persons when describing their knowledge, or lack thereof, concerning a particular crime or incident. For example, it is rare that a person who has just had his/her house broken into and had several thousand dollars worth of property stolen, would describe in their written (or recorded verbal) statements when submitting an insurance claim, that the thief "gained entry..." vs. "broke into..." or use "the missing items were..." vs. "stolen items were..." to describe what happened. When a person suddenly says, "Oh, by the way..." and adds very material information to their statement about their involvement or noninvolvement in the crime, or suddenly switches from active to passive voice, these are often clues, or indicators, of possible untruthfulness or withholding of information. In a rape case, when a "victim" continues to use the term "we" after the assault begins, this is a strong indicator the "victim" did not consider, in her own mind, the act was rape at the time, but later decided it was rape.
NOTES:
G. Brown & Associates employs the linguistic techniques of both the trademarked SCAN (Scientific Content Analysis) as taught by Avinoam Sapir, Director, Laboratory for Scientific Interrogation, and the linguistic theories of other leaders in the field. The SCAN system is the one that is currently being taught around the country to local and federal law enforcement agencies.
G. Brown & Associates has been highly accurate when combining Behavioral Profiling, Form Variance Analysis and Content/Psycholinguistic Analysis techniques on a victim, witness and/or subject statement(s) and in evaluating anonymous threatening letters and profiling their writers. This latter process often leads to subsequent identification of that writer. Our associates, a questioned document examiner, a forensic psychologist and a forensic computer data expert are employed on an as needed basis to insure the most accurate analysis possible. (Our psychologist specializes in workplace violence and serial killer cases.)
Alone, any of these techniques can be accurate, usually well beyond chance for its specifically designed purpose. Under certain circumstances, these techniques, when employed individually may show false positives/negatives. Combined, these tools disclose the separate clues of each technique, and reinforce each other. More importantly, using reinforcement helps avoid the occasional misinterpretations that can occur when only one technique is employed in solving the problem.
*Scientific Content Analysis is a trademarked term of Avinoam Sapir and The Laboratory for Scientific Interrogation, Phoenix, AZ.
PROFILE - GERALD (GARY) R. BROWN
Gary Brown served a combined twenty-one (21) years (1963-1984) as a Special Agent of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) and the Defense Investigative Service (DIS) In that capacity he served as a field agent, case supervisor, instructor in undercover operations, and three assignments as a Commander/Special Agent in Charge at field posts and supervisory agent at Headquarters AFOSI and DIS.
His investigative experience includes criminal, fraud, counterintelligence, counter-terrorism, and protective services (Secret Service type work) at posts in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Experience also includes six (6) years as the investigative advisor on child abuse matters involving Air Force personnel and their dependents.
He holds a BA in Political Science (specializing in International Affairs) from Texas Christian University, and an MS in General Studies (specializing in Investigative Techniques) from George Washington University, with additional graduate study towards a Master of Public Administration Degree from University of Southern California. He is also a distinguished AFROTC graduate, a graduate of the Air Force Squadron Officers School and the Air Command and Staff College, and numerous specialized investigative training courses. He currently participates as both an attendee and instructor in specialized Handwriting Analysis or Content Analysis seminars. He has been a presenter/seminar instructor of Statement Analysis to the Special Investigations Units of insurance companies, Washington headquarters of two US Government investigative agencies, associations of fraud investigators, police departments, criminal investigators' associations, as well as various handwriting analysis organizations. He is often quoted and /interviewed by national and local radio, TV and national newspapers such as the Washington Post/LA Times News Service and the Cox Communications papers. He is published as a contributing author to the 2002 published book "Corporate Investigations."
From 1984 to January 1988, when Gary received his Master Handwriting Analyst certification, he studied, experimented with, and empirically validated handwriting analysis. In January 1988 he founded his own full-time investigative handwriting analysis business (G. Brown & Associates) now headquartered in Tigard, OR. That business now employs Behavioral Profiling, Form Variance Analysis, and Investigative Discourse Analysis (content analysis/psycholinguistics) to solve problems for his clients. GBA includes associates who are specialists in questioned document examination, a forensic psychologist specializing in workplace violence matters and one the nation's top data discovery experts specializing in recovering erased data from computers.
Gary specializes in focusing investigative effort for corporate security/legal departments, the legal profession (jury selection/client/judge/opposing attorney evaluations), insurance fraud investigative units, government agencies and private investigators. Competitive intelligence and counterintelligence related services provide insights that help clients solve proprietary information loss, anonymous stock manipulation and similar matters. His firm also provides questioned document examination services by nationally recognized and court qualified examiners, and forensic psychological evaluations by a court qualified psychologist who specializes in workplace violence and serial killers. (The latter as consultant to the court)
His firm has become particularly well known for its profiling of anonymous letter writers threatening senior corporate executives and identifying viable suspects in criminal and fraud activities. Approximately sixty percent of GBA work is related to anonymous letter writer profiling. Among his clients are corporate headquarters and/or divisions of twenty-nine (29) Fortune 500 companies, including five Fortune 25 companies, small business and legal and investigative communities. His firm has clients in 35 states and internationally in six countries.
Gary and/or members of his staff are members of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals, INTELNET, American Society for Industrial Security, American Psychological Association, Federal Investigators Association, Northwest Fraud Investigators Association, Independent Association of Questioned Document Examiners, National Council of Investigative and Security Services, World Association of Questioned Document Examiners, Society for Human Resource Management, The Vidocq Society and the Association of Former Air Force Office of Special Investigations Special Agents. (The Vidocq Society is an internationally known group of forensic experts who work (pro-bono) with law enforcement agencies and families to solve homicides that are a minimum of ten years in an unsolved status.